Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Jan 12 – 13, 2019Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 8 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Despite a slight improvement in the hazard level, the weak and shallow snowpack deserves vigilance. Dig into the snowpack frequently to assist with terrain decisions.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2.5
    Wind slabs are pretty much everywhere in the Alpine and only slightly less common at Treeline. Steep and unsupported terrain will be places to watch for potential human triggering.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–3
    Any avalanche has the potential to trigger the basal facets, resulting in large avalanches.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Sunday should be a relatively mild day with temperatures near -5 in the Alpine and moderate winds from the West. There is no new snow n the forecast until at least Thursday.

Avalanche Summary

One size 2.0 to 2.5 naturally triggered slab was observed on the East aspect of Snow Peak at approximately 2700m. This avalanche occurred in the past 24hrs and possibly triggered by a cornice failure.

Snowpack Summary

The snowpack settled a bit yesterday with the warm temperatures. Wind slabs are widespread in the Alpine and at Treeline. The depth and sensitivity of these slabs is widely variable across the forecast region, and it is worth digging into the snowpack often to evaluate this avalanche problem. The bottom half of the snowpack is very weak consisting primarily of facets. This condition will persist over the long term, which means that any avalanche that occurs could step down to these weak basal layers causing a very large avalanche.

Regions covered