Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Recent snow has freshened up the slopes. Have a good understanding of the snowpack before heading out in the mountains; the snowpack is complex. Good skiing can be found on moderate angled slopes.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been observed or reported on Thursday March 28.
A size 3 skier triggered avalanche occurred last Sunday. Please see the MIN report at https://avalanche.ca/map?panel=mountain-information-network-submissions%2F3a547b44-ea29-11ee-97c1-0a58a9feac02
Snowpack Summary
Quite a complex snowpack for this time of year. Let's break it down starting from the top of the snowpack and working our way down:
Expect up to 10cm of new snow for a total of 15-25cm overlying the March 20 temperature crust. Generally this snow is well bonded to the crust except on steeper terrain where you could still sluff it while skiing. Any terrain that is tipped slightly to the sun has a buried sun crust on it.
The March 20 temperature crust (down about 20cm) is anywhere from 1-10cm thick and can be mostly found below 2400m on North aspects and to mountain top on solar aspects. Some areas do not have this crust and is not providing any bridging.
The February 2 crust is down about 60-80cm and has started to break down with facets on top and below it. This layer is not to be trusted anymore in terms of bridging any deeper instabilities
The basal facets make up more than half of the snowpack and are clearly visible when you dig a snow pit. Any avalanche that is triggered in the upper snowpack could easily step down to this layer. If this happens, one is looking at a full depth avalanche to ground.
The depth of the snowpack is quite variable with thin to thick areas of snow. The Tent Bowl size 3 avalanche that was skier triggered a few days ago is a classic photo of thin to thick areas. In this instance, the avalanche appears to have been triggered from a thin area that went full depth and is right beside a thick wind loaded feature. With everything going on in the snowpack, a more conservative approach seems reasonable. The bigger ski lines and larger features are best left alone in these conditions.
Weather Summary
Friday will be cloudy with light snow all day with accumulations of up to 10cm. Temperature in the alpine will reach -3c with a freezing level of 2200m. Winds will be light from the SW.
Be aware that when the sun does come out it packs a punch at this time of year and snow stability will quickly deteriorate on the solar aspects. Thin cloud can also lead to a "Greenhouse Effect" that can make the upper snowpack moist and unstable. Lots going on in Spring!
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
- The more the snowpack warms-up and weakens, the more conservative you`ll want to be with your terrain selection.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Isolated windslabs in alpine areas along ridgelines. These slabs do not appear to extend far downslope. Be sure to assess local wind affect in areas you are travelling.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
This layer is the Feb 2 crust. More prominent on polar aspects.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3
Deep Persistent Slabs
Facets near the base of the snowpack may be triggered from thin areas. Low probability, high consequence avalanches should be in your mind.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3