South Rockies

Strong winds may have created wind slabs in unexpected areas, potentially lower on the slope.

Assess for wind slab before committing to steep lines.

On Thursday a large (size 2.5) wind slab avalanche was initiated using explosives and ran 600 meters in length. Elevation and aspect were not reported.

On Tuesday, a few natural size 1.5 wind slab avalanches were reported on southeast alpine slopes. See the MIN for details.

If you are headed into the backcountry please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network.

Ongoing strong north west through to south west wind has scoured exposed slopes, transporting snow to leeward aspects. Isolated wind slabs are likely to exist on all aspects in the alpine and treeline.

At treeline and below a layer of facets over a crust, from early December, can be found down 40 to 70 cm.

The lower snowpack is generally well-settled.

Treeline snowpack depth varies significantly across the region, from 50 to over 150 cm.

Friday Night

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow.. 20 to 40 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Monday

Mix of sun and cloud with trace amounts of snow possible. 10 to 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.