Kananaskis

Recently formed wind slabs are lingering at upper elevations. Don't forget about the deeply buried weak layers. It's still a good idea to choose mellow slopes with limited overhead hazard.

Nothing new was observed or reported.

Between 5 and 10cm of snow fell late last week. This new snow is overlying a thin melt freeze crust up to 2100m (2300m on solar aspects) that makes the skiing very challenging but so far the bond appears to be good. The upper snowpack continues to strengthen with the only notable shear at the interface with the deeper weak facets in the moderate range. Isolated wind slabs were observed in alpine areas on southern aspects from the recent northerly winds but they do not extend far downslope.

As the snowpack above the weaker base becomes more cohesive the potential for wide propagation increases. This will be a common theme this winter and you should always be thinking about consequences of an avalanche.

Turns are pretty hard to come by as one forecaster described the area as the worst they have ever seen.....

Tuesday and Wednesday will be a mix of sun and cloud with highs near -10C. Winds will be moderate from the west. No new snow is in the forecast for the next several days.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
• If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.