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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 2nd, 2021–Feb 3rd, 2021

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kananaskis.

The alpine is HIGH hazard with 50cm+ snow and strong winds. Excellent skiing can be found below treeline.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Expect another 10-20cm by Wednesday afternoon with moderate SW winds. The day will start out around -8c and drop down to -18c.

Avalanche Summary

There is evidence of several size 2 and one size 3 that occurred during the last 24hrs. Skiers on Tuesday reported a skier triggered slab in the Tryst chutes.

Snowpack Summary

Another 15cm of 24hour snow, bringing the storm snow to 50-60cm. At treeline and below, the storm snow is bonding relatively well to the hard wind slab underneath. On Tuesday, in open areas at treeline and above, the winds were intense and have started to slab up the top 30cm+ and is reactive to skier traffic. Expect to find wind slabs up to 100cm thick, especially in lee features and cross loaded gullies. Open areas at treeline and above will need to be approached with caution. Watch for cracking around your skis.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Shooting cracks, whumphs and recent avalanches are strong indicators of an unstable snowpack.

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.