Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Skier triggerable windslabs were encountered by forecasters in both treeline and alpine features on Friday. While these slabs are not widespread, be thinking about these problems as you travel and avoid thin, or unsupported areas.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported.
Snowpack Summary
A few cms of new snow fell but not enought to change the danger or improve the skiing! As you transition out of the Treeline and into the Alpine windslabs become more common. These slabs are 5-40cm thick and reactive to a skiers weight especially in thinner or unsupported terrain. Forecasters noted numerous areas of "Drummy" feeling snow wherein a windslab was overlying softer snow from earlier in the week. As you encounter this type of feeling, back off the terrain and also look around and see what terrain you are connected to. Due to the stiffness of the overlying slab, the potential for failures to propagate is a concern. Below treeline, the snow snowpack is holding in there, but mainly consists off facets and in some places you can sink right to ground. Hope for more snow in the second half of this winter!!!
Weather Summary
See table. Light flurries throughout the weekend.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Carefully evaluate big and steep terrain features before committing to them.
- Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.
- Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Avoid hollow feeling windslabs in alpine terrain, especially near thin or convex terrain. The windslabs are also found at treeline but in more isolated pieces of terrain such as small gullies.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2