Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Jan 30 – 31, 2015Alberta Parks
View on map
Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Nasty ski conditions out there right now. Skiing is very difficult with breakable crust and/or boiler plate windslabs. Cooler temps will continue to lock the snowpack in place.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Alpine windslabs are welded in place at the moment. Treeline slabs are more patchy and vary in density. Shallow areas that have been recently stripped are more concerning from a triggering point of view.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–3
    The crust was found down 25cm's today. Facets above and below the crust indicate the potential for triggering. Tests had mixed results. Look at steep convex areas carefully.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–5
    This is lurking at the bottom of the snowpack. A big trigger(cornice), or a shallow weak spot is needed to get it going.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

A cloudy day for tomorrow. There is a chance we'll get a few cm's of snow, but not enough to have a significant effect on ski quality or avalanche conditions. The temperatures will fall slightly at all elevations. The 2500m high will be -5. Winds will be light from the NW.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches

Snowpack Summary

Forecasters went to the Commonwealth Loop today and battled the poor snow for the whole trip. Below treeline the heat has left a widespread temperature crust. For the most part this is breakable and does not carry a skier well. The crust was found as high as 2200m. It is likely higher, but the 2200m mark is where the boiler plate windslabs started. The entire alpine is covered with very dense windslabs and sastrugi. Treeline/alpine terrain has widespread, potentially triggerable windslabs. The Dec 13 crust was found to be 15-25cm's down with  a reasonable bond.

Regions covered