Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Dec 23 – 24, 2016Alberta Parks
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Avalanche danger

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

Forecasters were able to remotely trigger a sz 2 avalanche at 2300m on a NE aspect.  This is a strong indication that skier triggerred avalanches are still likely at this time,

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Skier triggerable windslabs are still being easily found in the alpine and isolated areas at treeline.  Use smaller slopes that are not connected to a bigger overhead.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Loose dry avalanches were quickly occurring with only a small input of wind on Friday.  Watch for large sluffs possibly triggering slabs on underlying slopes.

Confidence

High - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Saturday

Weather Forecast

Winds will continue out of the east on Saturday with a few more cm of snow expected to fall .  Temperatures will be seasonal with day time highs around -12C.  We will be in this pattern for a few days now.

Avalanche Summary

Numerous loose dry avalanches up to sz 2 were observed out of steeper terrain on Friday.  No new natural slab avalanches were observed but forecasters were able to remotely trigger a sz 2 avalanche at 2400m on a NE aspect.  The slide was 50m wide, up to 100cm deep and ran over 200m.  It was a slope below a rock wall that was 38deg.  This indicates that the windlslab problem is still triggerable by skiers. 

Snowpack Summary

6-8cm of new snow over the past 24hrs is adding up to 30-40cm of recent snow over the past 7 days.  Earlier in the week widespread windslabs were observed in alpine areas and isolated areas at treeline.  These previous windslabs are now buried by the most recent snow making them slightly more difficult to locate.  Forecasters throughout the week have been able to trigger sz 2 avalanches in low alpine terrain failing down 30-100cm.  What we are noticing is how fast these slabs become reactive as soon as one transitions into wind affected terrain (often just a few steps).  Be especially careful as you move into any open feature in alpine and treeline areas, especially on N and E aspects. 

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