Avalanche Forecast
South Rockies
Conditions are variable across the region. Back off if you encounter warning signs like whumpfing or cracking.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds or shooting cracks.
- The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Weak layers are buried within a prime depth range for human triggering. These are most prevalent at and below treeline.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid exposure to terrain traps where the consequences of a small avalanche could be serious.
- Avoid convex slopes around treeline.
- Choose slopes that are well supported and have limited consequence.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in the last couple of days, but some whumpfing was felt on Saturday. Earlier in the week, persistent slabs were failing easily with natural and human triggers. With warming or increased load by snow and/or wind-loading, persistent slab activity may increase again.
Snowpack Summary
Wind slabs may exist lower on the slope than normal, due to recent extreme south-west winds. Windward alpine slopes are scoured; and variable wind slabs are found at treeline and alpine elevations.
A weak layer from mid-December (predominantly feathery surface hoar crystals and/or a sun crust) is found at treeline and below. Avalanches on this layer may be triggered by the weight of a person in certain locations. As temperatures warm, the slab above this weakness may become easy to trigger.
Deeper in the snowpack, an early season rain crust and sugary facets make up the picture. Overall snowpack depths are variable across the region. It's generally shallower in the east.
Weather Forecast
MONDAY: Strong to gale south-west winds. Flurries. Alpine temperature near -5.
TUESDAY: Strong south-west winds dying out. Around 5 cm snow. Alpine temperature near -2. A further 5-10 cm snow overnight.
WEDNESDAY: Strong south-west winds. Light snow. Alpine temperature near -10.
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Wind slabs can be found at treeline and alpine elevations. Recent extreme winds have stripped some aspects and may have left wind slabs further down slope than normal.