Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Dec 15 – 16, 2014Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

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

In Alpine areas very dense slabs sit on the weak basal layers. Forecasters are slowly gaining confidence in this terrain but the potential for large full-depth avalanches is still there.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Isolated pockets of thin wind slabs are found in the upper Alpine elevations. Watch for these pockets in the immediate lee of ridgelines.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–4
    The weak basal layers are the principal concern in the snowpack. Dense slabs now overlie these basal layers. While these dense slabs provide some bridging strength, if a slab is triggered the consequences could be significant.

Confidence

Fair

Weather Forecast

No precipitation is in the in the medium-term forecast. Temperatures on Tuesday should reach -5 degrees in the Alpine with light SW winds and a mix of sun and cloud.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new.

Snowpack Summary

Very dense wind slabs are found in the Alpine, but distribution and depth are highly variable. These wind slabs are providing some bridging strength over the basal weak layers, but human triggering is still possible especially from shallow snowpack areas. The Dec 13th rain crust extends up to between 2200 and 2100m and makes for very poor skiing below this elevation. The basal weak layer combo of weak facets sitting on November rain crust is still the primary concern due to the potential for full depth avalanches should a failure occur.

Regions covered