Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Kananaskis.
Lots of fresh wind slabs out there on a variety of aspects. Continuously evaluate the snowpack and your terrain choices.
Confidence
Moderate -
Weather Forecast
Tuesday will bring light northerly winds, cool temps (near -17) and light flurries. Accumulations of snow should be in the 5 to 10cm range by late Wednesday.
Avalanche Summary
Nothing new observed or reported today, but observations were limited.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 5cm of new snow in the past 24 hours. This has been redistributed by moderate to strong winds in the past 24 hours, with some extreme northerly winds on Sunday. Many Alpine areas are stripped completely bare of snow, with the immediate lee side of ridges seeing deep wind deposited snow. Where there is snow on the ground expect to find wind slabs in both the Alpine and Treeline elevation bands. Where these wind slabs sit on the November crust (down 30 to 50cm and occasionally deeper), the slabs will be more sensitive to human triggering. Watch for some "reverse wind loading" due to the recent northerly winds. The October crust/facet layer sits just above the ground, and though this is nothing new to us in the eastern Rockies, it will be a layer to watch in the long term.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Lots of wind recently from various directions. Expect wind slabs on all open slopes.
Aspects: North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
The Nov 9 crust buried 30 to 50cm (on average) is a potential sliding layer for previously formed wind slabs. Evaluate the snowpack frequently to evaluate the presence and sensitivity of these slabs.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2