Kananaskis

Persistent winds and warm temps have created reactive wind slabs in lee and cross-loaded terrain.

Nothing new reported or observed.

Is it harder to read the same thing everyday, or write the same thing every day? I'm not sure, but for those who like repetitive stories, grab a comfy chair, here we go...

Still no significant new snow out there. But what little snow we had last week has now been blown around into windslabs at most elevations. Given the recent temperature swings, these slabs could very well be reactive and easily human triggered. Climbers should expect to encounter these reactive slabs in small, but consequential pockets between pitches. Routes like Coire Dubh, Sinatra Falls, This House of Sky will all have pocket slabs present.

In lower areas, or solar aspects there is a thin crust developing from the warm weather. Aside from making poor skiing even poorer, this won't pose much of a problem until we get snow.

Don't forget(who could at this point?) about the deep, consequential depth hoar/facet/sugary snow looming way down below. This remains our principal concern and is not to be taken lightly.

Monday will be mainly sunny to start, with moderate NW winds and temps climbing to near -3C. By late afternoon a change is coming, and we actually might see some snow!!! As the winds shift to the SW, Tuesday will be cloudy with snowfall amounts between 8 and 12cm! Every little bit helps!

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.