Lawinenlagebericht Kananaskis — Feb 15, 2021

Kernpunkte

Temperatures are warming up and the sun is starting to have some strength. This is especially important when travelling near larger sun exposed slopes. Good skiing is plentiful.

Lawinenprobleme

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Unlikely - Possible
Größe
1.5–2.5
Lets think east side of the road vs west side of the road for a second. On the west side, windslabs are present at treeline and above. They are weak from the cold spell and will be more likely to trigger on steep convex rolls. Conversely, the east side of the road is much shallower and has a more sensitive and unpredictable feel to it. Choose supported terrain with no terrain traps.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Tuesday morning will start out with a temp of -20c and warm up to -12c in the alpine. Expect a mix of sun and cloud with light flurries starting mid-day. Winds are forecast from the West at 40-50km/hr.

Avalanche Summary

There is evidence of some recent slab avalanches starting near ridge lines within the top 30-40cm and running to mid path.

Snowpack Summary

Surface wind slabs are evident in exposed areas in the alpine but still providing good skiing. There is evidence of some slab avalanches starting near ridge lines within the top 30-40cm and running to mid path. Surface faceting is evident in the top of the snowpack. The Jan 29th interface is down around 50cm and is still on our radar and is worth checking on if you are venturing into unchartered terrain.

The sun is really starting to have some strength to it and should be on your radar if you are travelling close to sun exposed slopes.

Terrain and Travel

Pay attention to isolated alpine features as well as cross-loaded features at treeline.
Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.

Kananaskis

Lawinengefahr