Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Mar 3 – 4, 2014Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Good travel conditions and fun skiing can be found in sheltered areas, especially since the recent cold temperatures kept the crowds away.  Be cautious in your route selection as large avalanches are still possible. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–5
    The Feb 10 persistent weak layer is highly variable in nature (a mix of facets, sun crust, wind slab, surface hoar) and is still producing moderate to hard shears down 40 to 80cm in the snowpack. No cracking or whumpfing was observed today.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Easy to moderate shears at the base of the most recent snowfall. Observed up to 30 cm of new and windblown snow at TL on a windloaded slope.

Confidence

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain

Weather Forecast

Temperatures were colder in the valley bottoms today than at higher elevations, but overall we are out of the deep freeze experienced this past weekend. With the milder temperatures we expect to have west winds in the strong to extreme range, followed by 15 cm of new snow and continuing extreme winds overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday. 

Avalanche Summary

Numerous sluffs were observed on steep east facing rocky terrain up to size 1.

Snowpack Summary

Approximately 10-15 cm of new snow was received over the weekend. Field tests show this new snow can be triggered with light to moderate loads, such as a skier. The Feb 10th persistent weak layer is still bonding poorly with the upper snowpack. Up to 80 cm of dense snow sits on top of this Feb 10th layer, which continues to produce shears but is supportive for trail breaking. Winds continue to create thin wind slabs in cross-loaded and reverse wind-loaded features at Treeline and above.

Regions covered