Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 10th, 2024–Dec 11th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

The alpine is covered in wind slabs. Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed or reported today.

Snowpack Summary

Wind slabs dominate the alpine and are more sensitive to triggering along lee features, convex rolls along ridges and cross loaded gullies. The height of the snowpack varies significantly and where it is deeper, the snowpack is generally stronger. The October crust is located in the bottom 20cm of the snowpack andt he November crust is not as widespread and is found about 35cm off the ground. Take the time to dig and investigate these layers.

Weather Summary

Temperatures on Wednesday will hover around -6c. Click on the table below for more weather info and Wednesday's weather is under the "Tomorrow" Tab.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
Avoid steep terrain that is rocky and thin.

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.