Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Early starts with early finishes are both good ideas as the sun has lots of punch these days. Friday will have clear skies and high freezing levels so we are expecting solar aspects to become sensitive to trigerring later in the day. Good skiing is still being found on north aspects.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
Loose dry avalanches up to sz 1 in the recent snow from steep unskiable terrain.
Snowpack Summary
At treeline, an average of 30-40cm of recent snow overlies the Mar 28 crust which carries the weight of a skier. Take the time to monitor the presence of this crust; if it is not there, then there could be a higher likelihood of triggering the basal facets. The Jan 30th layer buried 60 to 100cm deep is still a concern. It could become active with intense heating (daytime temps and/or solar input), and it is also problematic on northern aspects at higher elevations and in shallow snowpack areas. Human triggering is possible as well in these areas.
Solar aspects are a mixture of crusts and more challenging skiing. AS these crusts break down during the day, expect stability to decrease and avalanches become more likely.
Weather Summary
Overnight lows forecast to drop to -15C overnight. No new snow forecast and winds are expected to be light out of the NW. Skies will be clear and the freezing will climb to 2100m so expect stability to deteriorate on solar aspects later in the day.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rocky outcrops, and steep terrain where triggering is most likely.
- Avoid exposure to overhead hazards when solar radiation is strong.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
This layer is less reactive to triggering but still exists in the forecast region. On solar aspects when the sun comes out it may become more reactive.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 2 - 3.5
Deep Persistent Slabs
Continue to limit exposure to overhead hazard in areas that haven't avalanched, Avalanche's in the upper snowpack are likely to step down to the basal layers.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 2.5 - 4