Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Nov 19 – 20, 2015Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

For a change we don't have a widespread weak layer to deal with. Having said that, we are finding pockets of weak windslab in alpine terrain. Watch unsupported terrain in the higher ranges of treeline & alpine.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–3
    There are 2 layers of windslabs with a weakness below and in between. Steep, crossloaded & unsupported terrain is the place to really watch for this problem.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

A day time high of -12 with light winds out of the north. No new snow is expected. The weekend will warm up slightly but remain dry.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches

Snowpack Summary

The moderate winds have formed windslabs in alpine terrain. Today, these were isolated to crossloaded terrain below ridgelines. In one instance, a 20cm thick, dense slab cracked and settled. A compression test in the area had easy results with a planar failure down 20cm. At treeline, the slabs are evident, but not as dense or reactive. Below treeline, the storm snow is bonding well with no distinct weak layers. At all elevations depths varied, but in general the treeline snow depth averages 70-100cm. As a whole, the snowpack is settling well with no widespread weak layer. Depth at Burstall Pass is 93cm, Burstall parking is 83cm & Highwood is 77cm.

Regions covered