Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Travel is fairly easy right now with the frozen crust which has about 10-20cm on it. This crust can be a sliding hazard on steeper lines.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
One small size 1 natural loose dry avalanche was observed on steep alpine terrain that started in non-skiable terrain.
Snowpack Summary
Monday night's storm left us with a whopping 2-4cm. Now we are looking at 10-20cm of loose snow over the Feb 3 crust. This crust is anywhere from 0.5cm to 5cm thick up to 2500m and is on the thinner side on North aspects. Natural sluffing has subsided but can still gain momentum with skier traffic on steeper slopes. Some wind slab development in the alpine have been reported but so far, it is quite isolated to the higher alpine features. Ski quality is dust on crust in the alpine. The depth of the snowpack still varies from 70-130cm.
Weather Summary
Wednesday will bring a mix of sun and cloud with a high of -16c in the alpine. Winds are expected at 10km/h from the NE. After that we are looking at some clear sunny days.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
- Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
- Be carefull with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
This avalanche problem is for isolated features high in the alpine.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
This will still be an issue in areas that escaped the heat, as there is no previous crust to hold the snowpack together.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5