Avalanche Forecast
South Rockies
Weaknesses deep in the snowpack will heal much more slowly than wind slabs. Keep your guard up around big overhead terrain and in thin snowpack areas in the alpine.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers and result in large avalanches.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid pockets of wind loaded snow.
Avalanche Problem 2: Deep Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Several persistent weak layers exist at the base of the snowpack. The risk of triggering one of these weaknesses will be elevated while warm weather persists at higher elevations.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Minimize your exposure to overhead avalanche terrain.
- Be aware of triggering thin areas that may propagate to deep instabilites more easily.
Avalanche Problem 3: Loose Wet
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Warm, sun-exposed slopes could continue to produce wet loose avalanches either naturally or with rider triggers on Saturday, especially in steeper terrain. This problem may expand to northerly aspects as warming persists.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
- Be cautious of sluffing in steep terrain, particularly where the debris flows into terrain traps.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported from this region. Although warm daytime temperatures and overnight cooling are likely helping bond recent wind slabs to the surface, the potential for releases deeper in the snowpack will remain elevated as these warm temperatures persist. Thin and variable snowpack depth areas will be the most likely trigger points for a deep release.
Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Snowpack Summary
Average snowpack depths at upper elevations in the region range from about 50-100 cm. Solar and temperature crusts are expected to have formed on the surface at higher elevations over the past two days. Below the surface, recent shifting winds extended wind slab formation to a wide range of aspects at treeline and above. The two crusts that were buried near the end of November can now be found approximately 30 cm and 60 cm down. A third crust from the end of October exists as a "facet/crust" combo near the base of the snowpack. Snowpack testing in the adjacent Kananaskis Country forecast region has yielded hard but sudden results on this layer.
Weather Forecast
Saturday: Mainly sunny with valley cloud due to lingering temperature inversion. Light west winds. Freezing level to 3500 metres with alpine temperatures around +4. Cooler at lover elevations
Sunday: Mainly cloudy. Light west winds. Freezing level to 3500 metres with alpine temperatures around +6. Cooler at lower elevations.
Monday: Mainly sunny with some valley cloud due to lingering inversion. Light southwest winds. Freezing level to 3500 metres with alpine temperatures around +7. Cooler at lower elevations.
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- South Rockies URL:
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A recent wind shift from southwest to north means that wind slabs now exist on a wide range of aspects at higher elevations. Be especially cautious of reverse loaded or cross-loaded slopes that see sun exposure.