Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Nov 21 – 22, 2020Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
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Highlights

The winds keep pushing that Moderate alpine rating back a day. We don't have enough direct observations to give us enough confidence to lower it right now. In the meantime, travel conservatively and just enjoy being out. Caution if tomorrow's warming trend materializes!!

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Watch for windslabs in alpine areas in the upper snowpack. Gullies and ridgelines are common areas to find these issues. 

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    This is becoming an issue in variable depth areas, especially in the rocky alpine areas.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

For the Highwood area we are expecting a rapid warming trend starting around 10am. Temperatures will go from -10 to -1 over a couple of hours. Clouds will be thin so expect some solar radiation to creep into teh snowpack as well. Aside from that, there will be nothing too exciting for the day. Moderate west winds, no snow and partly cloudy skies. 

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new today.

Snowpack Summary

An average weather day today hasn't changed things very much. The only potential exception was the continued strong alpine winds. We expect the windslabs have continued to build with only a slight strengthening between the layers. The crust will still be down 20-50cm, depending on snow distribution. Cornices are building as well, but how they will affect the avalanche triggering remains to be seen.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

Regions covered