Kananaskis

Watch for a temperature inversion on Saturday with warmer air at higher elevations. Strong solar radiation and the warm temperatures in the Alpine may cause the snowpack to weaken on solar aspects so keep an eye on the thermometer as you travel.

Moderate

• Uncertainty is due to difficult to forecast freezing levels.

One new cornice collapse was noted in the Burstall pass area triggering a sz 2 windslabs on the underlying NE aspect slope.

Surface hoar has been growing over the past few days with the cooler nights. Otherwise not much is changing and backcountry users can expect a thin melt freeze crust was being encountered on all aspects up to 2300m and likely higher and thicker on more solar aspects. Windslabs are common at treeline and above from the strong winds over this past week with some areas stripped down to rock. A surface hoar layer is also being found down 50cm up to 2100m that has been producing results in the hard range.

The November crust is deeply buried in the snowpack down 120-200cm. Field tests on this layer over the past few days have produced no results from a deep tap test on this layer. There is still some concern for triggering this layer from thin snowpack areas.

Mainly sunny on Saturday with a high -1 in the alpine and winds into the moderate range out of the NE. An inversion is forecast for Saturday with an above freezing layer in the alpine. Check the weather stations at treeline before you head out.

https://hpfx.collab.science.gc.ca/~fsg006/productviewer/ab/table/AB_Rockies_Forecast.html

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.
• Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.