Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Apr 10th, 2018 3:00PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs, Cornices and Persistent Slabs.

michael.olsthoorn, Alberta Parks

Kananaskis.

It is starting to feel a little spring like out there and that usually means that the snow will be different depending which aspect you are on.

Summary

Confidence

Weather Forecast

Wednesday is suppose to be a mix of sun and cloud with alpine temperature of -4c with 15-20km/hr winds from the west,Â Freezing level is expected to be at 2100m.The sun has a lot of punch this time of year so it might get warmer than forecasted.Â Some snow is forecast for Thursday but the weather models are not aligned with the amount of snow.Â Stay tuned!

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed.

Snowpack Summary

A supportive melt/freeze crust was found on all aspects up to 2000m and even higher on solar aspects.Â Good skiing with dry snow was found on due North aspects in sheltered areas above 2100m. It was a little bit of work to get to it because of the hard melt/freeze crust in the morning.Â The beginning of corn snow was forming with the daytime heating in open terrain at lower elevations. The March 15th crust down 30 to 50cm on solar aspectsÂ in isolated terrain is still a concern, thus approaching these slopes with caution is advised. Cornices are large and are feeling the heat of the April sun, and should be avoided.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Watch for wind slabs in Alpine especially near cross-loaded gullies and immediately below ridge-lines. These slabs may become more sensitive to triggering as the temperatures rise during the day.

Evaluate unsupported slopes critically.Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Cornices

Cornices are large and looming. When the solar radiation is strong and/or the air temperature rises, cornice collapses could be a major concern.

Cornices become weak with daytime heating. Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could easily trigger persistent slabs.Give cornices a wide berth when travelling on or below ridges.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1.5 - 2.5

Persistent Slabs

The March 15th melt-freeze crust, buried 30-50cm on solar aspects, could be an issue on bigger slopes, particularly in the Alpine. Evaluate the snowpack for the presence/absence of this problem layer before committing to a terrain feature.

Avoid steep Southerly aspects.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Apr 11th, 2018 2:00PM