Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Kananaskis.
Very good skiing can be found below tree line where the wind has not affected the snow.
Confidence
Moderate -
Weather Forecast
Tuesday: Clear and cold (-23c) in the morning and warming up to -13c in the afternoon. Light flurries developing late afternoon along with moderate NW winds.
Wednesday: Light flurries.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed.
Snowpack Summary
2000m and below: Up to a 6cm crust on the surface was formed from the weekend rain that then froze.
2100m to 2300m: The weekend storm left us with up to 35cm of snow that is bonding well to the previous surface. The December 30 surface hoar layer is now down about 55cm and is mostly a facet layer that is starting to round and not producing consistent shears anymore.
2300m and above(alpine): The alpine has extensive wind slabs and storm slabs that will need some more time to heal. This recent slab is now sitting on several other generations of wind slabs that are still visible in the snowpack and have tightened up.
-Good skiing can be found from tree line and below where the wind has not gotten to it. The alpine is grabby on the skis and there is a big concern for cross loaded and lee features. Â
Terrain and Travel
- Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
- Avoid lee and cross loaded slopes in the alpine.
- Don't be too cavalier with decision making, storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3
Wind Slabs
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 2.5
Deep Persistent Slabs
This is the bottom 40cm of the snow pack (November crust/facet combo). Any storm slab that releases has the potential to wake up this layer.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 2 - 3.5