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Archived

Avalanche Forecast

Apr 20th, 2023–Apr 21st, 2023
Alpine
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
1: Low
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low
Alpine
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
1: Low
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low
Alpine
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating in the alpine will be moderate
Treeline
2: Moderate
The avalanche danger rating at treeline will be moderate
Below Treeline
1: Low
The avalanche danger rating below treeline will be low

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

Good skiing can be found on polar aspects and sheltered areas. Deeper instabilities still linger. Best to start early and finish early as the sun has a lot of power this time of year.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed or reported. Check out the min report for more details. https://avalanche.ca/map

Snowpack Summary

15-20cm of recent snow overlies a variety of surfaces such as wind slabs and melt/freeze crusts. Sheltered areas and polar aspectds will provide the best skiing with little wind effect. Be aware of sluffing on solar aspects if the sun comes out. Forecasters continue to track persistent weaknesses down anywhere from 40 to 100cm on polar aspects. These weaknesses are highly variable in nature and travelers should take the time to dig down and evaluate the snowpack frequently. Also, the lingering deep persistent slab problem is still alive and well.

If the sun comes out stability will deteriorate quickly so pay attention to the incoming radiation on aspects you are travelling on or under. Early starts and finishes are a great way to deal with some of these issues.

Weather Summary

Friday is expected to be mostly cloudy with some flurries and light NE winds. Temperatures are expected to be between -7c and -1c. It is Spring time, so even though 5cm is forecast for snow, anything is possible, even sunshine. At this time of year, the weather can change several times a day from intense sunshine to intense snow; if you don't like the weather, wait 5min...If the skies remain cloudy and some heat remains, then the re-freeze might not be as good as a clear night. Same goes for solar radiation during the day as it can quickly increase avalanche hazard.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, or solar radiation is strong.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.

Avalanche Problems

Persistent Slabs

The persistent layer is down roughly 100cm. May wake up again with increasing precipitation. North aspects is where this layer has been most active.

Aspects: North, North East, East, North West.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood: Possible

Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5

Deep Persistent Slabs

Shallow snowpack areas are an area of special concern, especially with intense solar radiation and/or daytime heating.

Great evidence of this problem avalanching is easy to find along the spray road right now.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood: Possible

Expected Size: 2 - 3.5