Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2024–Jan 19th, 2024

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

Lots of good skiing out there, especially in sheltered areas. Be on the lookout for wind slabs growing with Friday's strong winds.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed today.

Snowpack Summary

5-8cm of recent snow is overlying the weak facetted snow from last week as well as wind slabs in alpine terrain up to 30cm thick along ridgelines and in gullied features. The forecasters skied in the Black Prince area today and found good skiing but the snow had a bit of a stiffer feel to it. The Dec 5th crust can be found in the bottom third of the snowpack and exists up to 2350m with weak facets and depth hoar below this layer. Thin areas are places a skier may be able to trigger a failure in these basal facets that can propagate across a feature. Be cautious travelling below tree line as the snowpack is shallower and logs and tree stumps are lurking just under the surface.

Weather Summary

Temperatures are on the rise......

Friday: Your ski day will start on the coolish side of -21c and is suppose to warm up to a balmy -8c. This warming trend will start around noon and bring strong westerly winds, and light flurries.

Saturday and Sunday: Light flurries and highs of -2c both days.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and unsupported terrain features.
Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.