Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 2nd, 2025–Jan 3rd, 2025

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.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Flurries are starting to add up and slowly change the snowpack. So far new snow has been relatively untouched by wind, but this could change quickly if the winds shift, or pick up speed. Enjoy the travel, but watch for changes.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Nothing was seen today. Visibility was poor.

Snowpack Summary

Our flurries have started to add up. At Burstall Pass today there was about 10cm from the past day or two. There was also some older snow that made it feel like there is 20-30cm of soft snow on the surface. Keep in mind Burstall Pass is somewhat of a local anomaly for depth and quality of snow, but its encouraging to see snow accumulate none the less. Winds have just touched the new snow and have left soft windslabs in immediate lee areas, but they taper quickly. The deeper, more concerning layers are there, but becoming harder to find. The Dec 7th crust was barely visible today, and the deeper Oct crust was there, but not reactive. Expect that to be different from drainage to drainage. Dig down and reacquaint yourself with the snow if you're heading into uncharted terrain.

Weather Summary

Feels like winter out there! Tomorrow will once again see light winds from the west. Temperatures will settle to -14 overnight and rise to -9 for tomorrow afternoon. Skies will remain cloudy with continued flurries. We can expect a few centimeters to add up by tomorrow afternoon.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.