Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Apr 20 – 21, 2014Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Solar radiation and aspect are the most important things to be aware of right now. Stability will detr throughout the day as it heats up so watch the sun and temps...

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–5
    Wet slabs failing on basal facets at treeline and below on solar aspects.  These may be triggerred by loose wet point releases.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–6
    The heat has triggerred a few larger avalanches on the basal facets in some areas.

Weather Forecast

A few cms of new snow is forecast to fall overnight but not enough to significantly change the avalanche danger.  A mix of sun and cloud is forecast with freezing levels at 2200-2400m.  Stability will deteriorate on solar aspects when the sun comes out so be sure to pay attention to the aspect you are traveling on.

Avalanche Summary

The heat on Saturday caused a small cycle of natural avalanche activity on solar aspects. Evidence of a few wet slabs up to sz 1.5 were observed.

Snowpack Summary

Everyday the affects of the solar radiation climb higher. On Sunday, a temperature crust was found on a NW aspect up as high as 2500m. This crust made the skiing challenging. At lower elevations, there is a strong surface crust in the mornings and weak isothermal snow below this. Early starts are key to ensure you can get back to the trailhead before the crust breaks down. Dry powder snow can only be found on pure north aspects above 2200m.

Regions covered