Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Feb 27 – 28, 2018Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 9 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Look to sheltered areas for good skiing. Forecasters continue to approach large Alpine terrain with some caution.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2.5
    Wind slabs continue to dominate the Alpine and Treeline elevation bands. Human-triggering is more likely in shallow snowpack areas and where thin wind slabs have formed at ridgecrest.

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5
    Weak surface facets from the prolonged cold period are found in sheltered northerly aspects at lower elevations. In steep terrain it is possible to trigger small sluffs that could have consequences in terrain traps or above cliffs.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3.5
    Large triggers are a concern. It's safe to say we're in the "low probability/high consequence" situation. Avoid thin areas.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Wednesday will bring a mix of sun and cloud and no new snow. Alpine temperatures should reach a high of -12 °C with winds from the SW at 25 km/h. Thursday and Friday could see some light flurries with accumulations between 5 and 10 cm.

Avalanche Summary

An extensive flight through the region today revealed no new avalanche activity.

Snowpack Summary

5 to 8cm of new snow in the past 24hrs at Treeline. Widespread wind effect in Alpine and Treeline areas, with highly variable wind directions. Surface snow has been facetting on sheltered northerly aspects Below Treeline, and has been reactive to ski cutting in steep terrain in recent days. Several snow profiles today across the region indicate a well settled and dense midpack. The persistent weak layers from Jan 18, Jan 6 and Dec 15 are still evident in the snowpack but there were no test results from compression tests on these layers today.

Regions covered