Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Feb 9 – 10, 2019Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Cold temperatures are still with us. Be smart with your back country choices. Even a small emergency can quickly become very serious with these climatic conditions.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    The alpine has wind slabs along ridge-lines and in cross-loaded features. Due to recent northerly winds, watch for slabs on S and SE aspects as well.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1.5–3
    Thin areas should are where you could wake up the basal layers. Large and steep Alpine features are still a concern.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

After another night of -30, Sunday should eventually see temperatures near -15 for a high. A mix of sun and cloud is expected with light winds. Some forecasts are calling for very light flurries Monday and Tuesday, and continued cold for the next few days.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanche activity observed or reported today.

Snowpack Summary

A steady N to NW wind today contributed to some further wind slab development in the Alpine, potentially on all aspects, but these slabs are expected to be fairly thin. With the persistent frigid temperatures the snowpack continues to facet and loose strength. In thicker snowpack areas, the midpack is hanging on to some strength and is still bridging over the weak basal layers, but its a good idea to keep this very weak base in mind. Though a full-depth avalanche is unlikely, if it does occur it will be catastrophic. Large triggers, such as a cornice failure, or triggering from a shallow snowpack area, are possible ways to wake up the deep persistent weak layer.

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