Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Mar 3 – 4, 2018Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 9 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Much better skiing than a few days ago. If winds pick up unexpectedly, the alpine hazard will easily go to considerable.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2.5
    These are now layers of windslabs. Expect soft slabs on the surface and buried hard slabs underneath in the alpine.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–1.5
    Not a problem on their own unless you are in a confined gully. But as a trigger for other layers they should be a concern.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3.5
    Large triggers are a concern. Cornices, and small avalanches are likely triggers.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

A few more flurries will bring another 5cm tonight. Tomorrow will be a mix of sun and cloud with daytime highs of -14C. Winds will shift to the south and fall to 15km/hr.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new, but visibility was limited.

Snowpack Summary

Snow continued overnight and today. So far storm totals are approaching 25cm at treeline. For the most part this new snow has come in with little wind, however there has been just enough of it to build soft windslabs. Some minor cracking was noted today within the new windslabs, but not enough to make an avalanche problem just yet. The weak mid pack is easily felt in the valley bottom and treeline elevations. If the new slabs firm up, these weak facets could become a sliding layer. The deeper instabilities are handling the new load well for the time being.

Regions covered