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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 7th, 2021–Dec 8th, 2021

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

If you are willing to work for the turns there is good skiing to be found in above 2100m. Getting there is the challenge though as the crusts can make travel difficult.  

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Light snow is forecast to move into the region overnight and into Wednesday with total accumulations around 5-7cm. Temperatures are forecast for a daytime high around -8C. Winds are going to be into the moderate range but more out of the north.  

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed over the past 24hrs.  

Snowpack Summary

Not much is changing out there right now. Windslabs can be found in the upper snowpack in the alpine along ridgelines and in lee features. Deeper in the snowpack is November 5th facets/crust interface. Generally this layer is at or near the ground and harder to trigger, but it has produced a few large avalanches over the past few weeks. Think about thin snowpack features as you travel. Below 2150m the rain from earlier this season has solidified the snowpack. This will be good long term but at this moment, it makes travel challenging and hard.  

Terrain and Travel

  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.