Find the best riding in areas sheltered from wind. Fresh wind slabs have formed over older, more dense slabs and a variety of previously wind-affected surfaces.
Wind will continue to impact any loose snow, building new wind slabs over an already wind-affected snowpack. The most reactive areas will likely be around ridges and open terrain at treeline and above. Be ready for a variety of wind-affected surfaces varying from fresh wind slabs, older and more dense slabs, to scoured and polished rock.
Friday night: Cloudy with isolated flurries and starry breaks. West-southwest winds, 30-45 km/hr. Alpine temperature low -9 C. Freezing dropping to valley bottom overnight.
Saturday: Cloudy with sunny breaks and late afternoon flurries. Southwest winds, 35-55 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -3 C. Freezing level 1500 m and rising into the evening.
Sunday: Wet flurries and rain, 10-40 mm. Southwest winds, 40-60 gusting to 90 km/hr. Alpine temperature high +3 C. Freezing level rising above 2000 m.
Monday: Mostly cloudy, isolated flurries, and sunny breaks, 5-10. Southwest winds 20-30 km/hr. Alpine temperature high 0 C. Freezing level 2000 m and dropping.
On Thursday, forecasters in neighboring Kananaskis Country reported a size 1.5 wind slab avalanche which failed naturally on a NW aspect around 2200 m. Although outside the South Rockies, we have a similar snowpack in our region and may see similar avalanche characteristics.
Wind is impacting 5-20 cm of recent snowfall, fresh wind slabs have formed over a variety of previously wind-affected surfaces. Expect to find anything from bare rock to dense wind slab along ridgelines and in open terrain.
Two crusts are found in the snowpack: the mid-November rain crust buried 20-30 cm and reported up to 2100 m, and a crust from early November found at the bottom of the snowpack up to 2300 m, this crust is being to break down and facet.
Snowpack depths range from 40-150 cm at treeline elevations. Higher elevations may hold a deeper snowpack, but also be more heavily impacted from recent winds. Snowpack depths decrease rapidly below 1900 m.
Early season hazards are very real right now, be wary of thin/shallow snowpacks, rocks, stumps, creeks, and other sharks hidden under fresh snow.
