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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 16th, 2022–Jan 17th, 2022

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Lots of wind slabs everywhere. In more aggressive terrain these slabs could be sensitive to human triggering.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Monday will be overcast with a high of -4C. Winds will be moderate to strong from the SW, with light flurried accumulating to 5cm or so by the end of the day. Tuesday morning will bring a major cool down with temperatures plunging to -20C. 

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new observed or reported on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

Wind slabs (both buried and on the surface) are widespread through the region, and are found in virtually all open terrain. If you look really, really hard there is good skiing in very sheltered terrain at lower elevations. The Dec 2 crust produced no results today in snowpack tests, and while forecasters continue to monitor this layer, we have decided to remove it from the "Avalanche Problems" list.......at least for now.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of a persistent slab.
  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.