Kananaskis

Some snow is on its way. The snow pack is generally weak and conservative route selection is the best approach to a safe day out.

No new avalanches were observed today but many of our neighbours have recently reported large avalanches, some of which have been triggered by cornices. Kananaskis Country have had several large natural avalanches in the last 5 days.

Generally a weak snowpack. The surface wind slab at tree line and above is slowly gaining strength but is still producing planar results down 20cm from the surface. In our test profile near Tent Ridge today, the basal facets were found up to 80cm up from the ground. Further test results were occurring at the November layer interface about 40cm off the ground. Natural avalanches are possible and the consequences would be significant because any trigger would likely make the entire snow pack slide. If more snow falls in the Park than expected, along with strong winds, expect fresh wind slabs to form. Check out part 2 on how significant the month of March is on our present snow pack: https://www.instagram.com/kananaskissafety/

Flurries are expected to begin near noon on Friday with snow amounts from 2-10cm depending on the weather model. Temperatures will range from -17c to -10c. Winds are expected to increase to strong from the SE by mid day.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.