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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 12th, 2023–Dec 13th, 2023

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

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Wind slabs are still a a concern for human triggering. Choose conservative terrain features, especially at higher elevations.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

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

Snowpack Summary

Most ridges are back to being gravel or old snow and many treed areas have been blown clean. This has led to wind slabs in most lee and cross-loaded areas. Many of the avalanches from the last few days have been filled in with only the debris deposits being visible. There's a good chance the crust from the last rain storm is exposed in wind prone areas. While the wind slabs are the main concern, don't forget the deeper layers are still players in the avalanche game. Dig down and keep track of the crust's location/condition/reactivity and remember, in some areas the early December surface hoar layer may still be intact. The snowpack is still very shallow and travel at lower elevations is challenging.

Weather Summary

Mainly sunny skies on Wednesday with strong to extreme SW winds. An above freezing level layer may form between 2200 and 3500m. No precip expected until Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • 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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.