Crowsnest North
Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 28th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 27th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Cornices.
Published: Mar 26th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Cornices, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 25th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet, Wind Slabs.
Published: Mar 24th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet, Wind Slabs.
Published: Mar 24th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 23rd, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 22nd, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 21st, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 20th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 19th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 18th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 17th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 16th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 16th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Storm Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 15th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Storm Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 15th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 14th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 13th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 12th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 11th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 10th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Wind Slabs, Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 9th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 8th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 7th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 6th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs.
Published: Mar 5th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Wind Slabs.
Published: Mar 4th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Wind Slabs.
Published: Mar 4th, 2025Avalanche Forecast
Problems: Persistent Slabs, Loose Wet.
Published: Mar 3rd, 2025+17 & Spicy!
<p>Slides all afternoon!</p>
knkp19,
Saturday 29th April, 2023 10:10PM
Awesome Allison Accumulation !!
<p>You might have heard of the “Fernie Factor”, well today we saw the “Awesome Allison Accumulation!”
There was an “upslope storm” (snowstorm from the East / Southeast) today that really delivered for the Crowsnest …. 35 cm at 1950 m by end of day!
Such a lot of snow arriving in a short time (Signs of Instability) gave us widespread dry loose avalanches to Size 1.5, coming out of steep alpine start zones, running mid to bottom of track. We didn’t see any slab avalanches.
There was already 20 to 25 cm of new snow at 1950 m on our arrival at 11am, and it continued to snow all afternoon, sometimes as much as 6 cm per hour. When we left the terrain at 3pm, there was 35 cm of new snow.
We saw Moderate wind gusts from the north at ridgetop, which was building some wind slab. These wind slabs were occasionally but not consistently reactive to our ski cuts.
With overcast sky, it remained cool at -5 at our high point of 2250 m at midday.
Oh, and did i mention:
!!GREAT SLEDDING, GREAT SKIING !!</p>
southrockies,
Wednesday 19th April, 2023 4:20PM
After the rains …….
<p>Allison Creek area today (as the groomer was getting loaded out after an season of excellent grooming, thank you!)
Observed a number of wet loose avalanches up to Size 2, starting in steeper terrain and running down onto 30 degree slopes but not running full path. We didn’t see anywhere that these avalanches stepped down to deeper layers.
At 2100 m, we found the top 20 cm of the snowpack was moist from rain, below which the rain had percolated (seeped through) to the mid-January layer at 90 cm, where it had pooled and soaked the snow. Below that, we found the same consolidating facets that we’ve been seeing all winter.
As we left the terrain at 3pm, it was cooling somewhat (0 degrees at 2100 m), and snowing one or two cm per hour (S1, S2).
The snowpack was pretty challenging for skiing, isothermal (er …. porridge) to the ground in shallow areas; dense, moist, and grabby everywhere else :-)
The Atlas staging was snow+ice-free, and the Allison Creek road was full snow, no bare patches.</p>
southrockies,
Tuesday 11th April, 2023 5:30PM
Beauty day in Crowsnest.. skiing was good also.
<p>North-facing slopes are still delivering! We toured to 2250 m along an alpine ridge. On steep south-facing slopes, the most recent snow was getting moist in the afternoon down 10 to 15 cm. On north-facing slopes, there were isolated pockets of thin wind slabs right at the ridge crest. Once off the ridge, there was 15 to 20 cm of settled soft snow.
We did see some wet loose out of extreme steep south-facing slopes likely triggered by the sun warming the rocky terrain.
It was clear skies with some clouds forming as we left the field and the wind was moderate from the west with some limited snow being transported around in the alpine directly lee of ridges.</p>
southrockies,
Thursday 6th April, 2023 3:00PM
🌻❄️Bluebird powder day
<p>Crowsnest today we found 40 cm of new snow from the weekend that was getting heavier through the day with sun and warming. No wind since the snow fell, which was a treat. We saw several small, loose avalanches from steep, sunny slopes around 2 pm. They were size 1 and didn't go deeper than the new snow. We expect more to have happened after we left too.
Didn't see any new slab avalanches today.
Riding was great in shady areas and sledding was good everywhere!
</p>
southrockies,
Wednesday 29th March, 2023 4:40PM
Allison Pow !
<p>Up Allison Creek today, sledded in and then ski toured up a (somewhat) sheltered North facing ridge. With pretty decent visibility we had a good look around seeing no new avalanches despite yesterday’s warming, last night’s added snow load, and moderate to strong winds.
We did however see some “signs of instability” in the immediate lee (sheltered side) of our ridge at Treeline: snow sounded a bit hollow, and was cracking between our two skin tracks, with that undercut snow moving only stubbornly. This indicated to us that higher in the Alpine, and in bigger open terrain at Treeline, we could expect to find windslabs and it would be likely that we could trigger them.
We dug two hasty pits, one in an open glade at 2170 m with some wind affect, one in a sheltered spot 150m lower. No concerning test results in either area. Mid and Lower snowpack continues to consolidate.
We figured about 15 cm of new snow fell at Treeline, which made for great sledding and skiing in sheltered areas. We probed a total depth of around 200 cm at Treeline.
We saw the sun occasionally, but the snow stayed dry. Our high temperature was -5 at Treeline, while it got up to +1 atvthecstaging area at 1500 m.
With the Moderate to Strong winds, despite the new snow, the Alpine is already looking much like before the storm, with windward aspects stripped to ground.</p>
southrockies,
Tuesday 14th March, 2023 5:20PM
Stormy in Crowsnest Pass
<p>Today in the Crowsnest near window mountain lake we found some stormy conditions. There was a lot of snow being transported by strong ENE winds and building small isolated wind slabs directly lee of ridges, trees, and high points. These wind slabs were reactive especially when we started transitioning out of treeline into more open alpine terrain. These new wind slabs are building over a sun crust that formed on steep south-facing slopes over the past few days and may remain touchy for the near future.</p>
southrockies,
Friday 10th March, 2023 3:40PM
Grooming and we noticed new slides today
<p>While grooming we noticed some new slides today, they weren’t there yesterday afternoon/evening when we were grooming.
More slides near Window & Racehorse too.
Be aware of your surroundings. </p>
knkp19,
Tuesday 28th February, 2023 5:30PM
Atlas day out
<p>No signs of instability on many slope types. Lots of sledders in the area today! Wind affect was noted close to alpine ridges, with undisturbed powder at lower elevations. Small wind slab noted close to ridge top. </p>
Patrick Jones,
Sunday 26th February, 2023 6:40AM
CrowSnow Poker run
<p>We were at the sledders cabin for the day for the poker run. It was extreme winds all day but temperatures were warming and the sun felt warm.
There were reports of a few small wind slabs both natural and machine triggered in alpine terrain features.</p>
southrockies,
Saturday 25th February, 2023 3:30PM
🌬️🍃Wind from everywhere!
<p>Wind is the story today. We had strong to extreme wind coming from all over. It was mainly north or south west, but shifted constantly. Any large opening in the trees or alpine had lots of snow being moved around. We saw a couple of small dry loose avalanches out of extreme terrain and a lot of spin drift off the cliffs. In the trees the riding was still really good but anything open was bad. The sun is starting to feel warm as well! ☀️☀️
</p>
southrockies,
Wednesday 15th February, 2023 5:10PM
Crowsnest Snowshoe
<p>Today in the Crowsnest we tried something a little different and did some snowshoeing. We planned a trip that accessed a ridge feature from a mellow treed slope. As we approached the ridge the snow condition changed from soft to wind affected and we started to see shooting cracks coming off of our snowshoes. Once on the ridge, we found overhanging cornices that were unsupported. We stayed well back from the ridge and hugged the treeline and dropped down the more mellow treed west-facing slope where there was less snow and no cornices. There were great views from the top, but we didn't stay too long as the winds were strong. As we came back down when we got to the corniced ridge we remotely triggered an overhanging cornice that triggered a small size 1 avalanche into the trees. </p>
southrockies,
Thursday 9th February, 2023 4:10PM
Awesome at Atlas (views that is)
<p>With the mostly clear sky, we were able to see lots of terrain and we didn’t see any natural avalanches, even out of steep alpine terrain. Staged out of Atlas today and headed up the (awesomely groomed … thanks CrowSnow Riders !) Allison Creek trail to check things out. Sure enough; the snowpack was shallow, faceted, crusty in some areas, wind hardened in others, and stripped to the ground in windward alpine terrain. Soooooooooo we enjoyed the sunshine, warm temps (+4 at 1700m), got out of the wind, which was strong to extreme up at the mountain tops. We soaked in the amazing scenery while we did some rescue practice with our transceivers: multiple victim, close-proximity, and deep-burial. We simulated deep burial by setting up a high line between two trees. Looking around and touring around on our sleds, we were able to see lots of terrain, and didn’t see any natural avalanches, nor any snow transport (er …. its all already blown away ?!)</p>
southrockies,
Thursday 26th January, 2023 5:00PM
Crusty in Crowsnest
<p>Today in the Crowsnest we found the effects of last week's warm temperatures and rain! A robust melt-freeze crust blankets almost all surfaces and starts to thin around 2100 m. At upper elevations, there is 5 cm on top of the crust that is being moved around by strong winds.
The staging area and access road are still in good shape so we did a bit of exploring today.</p>
southrockies,
Wednesday 18th January, 2023 3:50PM
Tecumseh Explore
<p>New snow needed. Riding quality poor. </p>
KPENNER,
Friday 6th January, 2023 4:20PM
Reset needed
knkp19,
Saturday 31st December, 2022 10:20PM
And then there was crust!
<p>What a difference a day makes! The warm temperatures and precipitation have left their mark in the Crowsnest! There is a melt-freeze crust found up to 2100 m. It’s not all bad news…once you get to 1800 m there is 10cm of snow above the crust, by the time we made it to the alpine there was 20cm of soft snow on a consolidated upper and mid-pack. The best skiing was in sheltered terrain where the new snow has not been affected by recent winds.</p>
southrockies,
Thursday 29th December, 2022 4:20PM
With warm temperatures comes great WINDS!
<p>It was a day of extremes today! The extreme winds are the headline. There was snow on the move at all elevations. Winds were generally from the west but were variable throughout the day.
We checked out the snowpack in a sheltered location to look for a recent surface hoar layer that was buried mid-December. We did find a pretty distinct layer but the crystals were small and broken. We had moderate test results: CTM 11 PC down 20cm on Sz 2 SH
We suspect wind slabs are building rapidly and will likely be more reactive where this surface hoar layer is found.
The layer is likely to be found in sheltered areas and more common at Treeline and below.
A temperature swing from -21 in the morning to -9 when we left the field this afternoon. It lightly snowed throughout the day but with the winds, it was hard to tell how much new snow we received.
</p>
southrockies,
Friday 23rd December, 2022 4:10PM
Tecumseh
<p>Lots of far-reaching cracking and whumpfing on east aspect slopes. Below tree line. At times, snowpack did not feel supported. 20 cm of fresh snow on top of a faceted snowpack. Very cold temps & snow was very slow.</p>
Farley,
Monday 19th December, 2022 8:30PM
Crowsnest - a window (that we couldn't see ... :-)
<p>Today we were in the Crowsnest - Window Mountain area we found 150 cm of snow at 2200 m. The upper pack is a series of wind slabs of various ages. The early season sugary snow that we expected to find in the mid and lower snowpack are gaining strength.
We had no "signs of instability" (shooting cracks, hollow or drum-like sounds, whumpfing) as we toured up and tested small slopes, so we skied a treed, 30 degree slope that gave us some pretty sweet powder turns.
There were brief periods where we could see the mountains and the alpine is really wind affected. We didn’t see any recent natural activity.</p>
southrockies,
Friday 9th December, 2022 5:20PM