Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
The snowpack is NOT improving. Avoid large open alpine terrain and overhead hazard. Choose low angled and well supported terrain. The snowpack is weak and there is the potential to trigger large avalanches from below.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
Isolated recent natural avalanche activity up to size 2.5 from Alpine features. These slides initiated as a persistent slab and then stepped to ground.
Snowpack Summary
Large surface hoar was found today up to 2200m. This may be a layer to watch in the future.
Otherwise not much is changing in the snowpack (and that's not a good thing!). The mid-December surface hoar layer down 30cm at Treeline is reacting as a persistent slab with compression tests in the moderate range. Below this, the remainder of the snowpack is heavily facetted. Any avalanche triggered in the upper snowpack will almost certainly step down to the ground.
Forecasters are approaching all terrain conservatively and do not have much confidence in the snow pack, as it's one of the worst we've seen in many, many years.
Weather Summary
High pressure continues, bringing mainly clear skies and no precipitation. On Wednesday temperatures will range from -15 to -10 in the Alpine with light NW winds. More of the same on Thursday.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
- Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
- If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
This layer is easy to trigger from thin, weak shallow areas.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Likely - Very Likely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3
Persistent Slabs
If triggered the persistent slab is very likely to steep down to the deeper instability and involve the entire winter's snowpack.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5