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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 13th, 2022–Mar 14th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

More snow and wind on the way. Take the time to evaluate all of the different layers before adventuring into bigger terrain.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Monday: Mainly cloudy with flurries and an expected 5cm of snow. Alpine temperatures will reach -4c along with 40-70km/hr winds from the SW. Freezing level is forecast at 2000m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were reported but visibility was limited.

Snowpack Summary

The recent storm snow is settling with the warmer temps. Expect to find wind slabs in the alpine from the recent storm with lee features loaded. Monday is forecast to have strong winds from the SW, so expect the development of another wind slab layer and more loading. The Feb 19 layer which is a crust on solar aspects and a hard wind slab on the other aspects is now down about 40-70cm. Take the time to dig and evaluate all of these layers.  

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.