Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Winds have increased in the Alpine. Wind slabs development is expected to pick up over the next couple of days. The snowpack is still shallow and generally weak. Watch for those "sharks" out there to prevent an early season injury!
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Very isolated naturally triggered loose dry avalanches were observed today in extremely steep alpine terrain. These slides occurred on easterly aspects, and stayed narrow and small in size.
Snowpack Summary
The winds have finally returned...to some extent. Alpine areas are experiencing wind transport along ridgelines. Lee and cross-loaded features will see increased wind slab development over the next couple of days. The flow is generally from the NW, so watch for wind loading on S and SE aspects as well as the typical N and NE aspects. At Treeline and below the winds have had minimal impact so far. The October rain crust is buried between 30 and 60cm deep, and can provide a good sliding layer. While this layer is widespread in the region, it has not been overly reactive in recent days. Eastern areas, such as the Highwood Pass zone have a generally shallower and weaker snowpack. Field teams today had a hard time putting turns together as the snowpack is often not strong enough to support the weight of a skier.
Weather Summary
Thursday could bring 2 to 5cm of new snow with moderate W or NW winds. Daytime temps should reach -8 under cloudy skies.
Continued light flurries are expected Friday and Saturday.
For more weather check out: https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
- Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
This slab is sitting on the October crust which has facets above it and provides a good sliding surface. It is more reactive on N and E aspects. Snowpack tests show consistent results on this layer.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5
Wind Slabs
Slight increase in wind today was moving more snow around and small wind slabs are starting to form in immediate lee and cross-loaded features. Keep an eye on localized conditions due to northerly winds in some parts of the forecast region, which could create reverse wind loading patterns.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2