Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Up to 20cm of snow is forecast for the next 24hrs as an upslope system moves into the region. Strong winds on Friday created new windslabs in alpine terrain. Assess the bond of new snow to the underlying crust as well as buried windslabs in higher elevations.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Nothing new observed in the past 24hrs but observations were limited.
Snowpack Summary
Strong winds combined with a few cm's of new snow overnight have made the wind affect in alpine areas much more pronounced. Expect windslabs along ridgelines on all aspects. Where the new windslabs are overlying a temperture crust from that week be sure to carefully evaluable to the bond with the underlying layers. On northern aspects the interface will be more of a storm snow interface down 20-40cm. With the new snow arriving Saturday be sure to evaluate the bond with the underlying snow surface. Where the new snow is overlying a thick MFC it will likely be more reactive so keep this in the forefront of your mind. Windslabs developed during this week will also be harder to locate so ensure you are feeling/evaluating these weakness as you travel.
Weather Summary
Freezing levels are forecast to drop to 1700m on Saturday as an upslope system moves into the region giving us 15-20cm of snow with generally light winds. Snow is forecast to start midday and continue into the evening on Saturday night. Daytime highs are forecast to be around -3C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rocky outcrops, and steep terrain where triggering is most likely.
- Wind slabs are isolated, but may remain reactive.
- Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent winds and snow will increase wind slab development in the Alpine.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
Watch for sheltered northern areas where this layer may still exist.
Aspects: North, North East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 2 - 3.5
Loose Dry
Loose dry avalanches running on a crust may travel surprisingly far if snow amounts are as forecast.
Aspects: East, South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2