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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 26th, 2013–Nov 27th, 2013

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

Snow cover is highly variable and thin weak spots are abundant.  Natural avalanche activity is minimal but here are opportunities out there for skier triggering in areas with thin snow cover.  Watch for buried hazards in the form of stumps, logs etc.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Clear skies will dominate over the next couple of days but temps will decline slightly with the freezing level at the surface (@1700m).  Winds will lessen on Wednesday and climb back up to more moderate values for Thursday.  No new precipitation until at least the weekend.

Avalanche Summary

Only a few loose dry sluffs from steep rocky terrain observed during a day long snow survey flight over most of Kananaskis Country.

Snowpack Summary

Some surface hoar in sheltered locations at and below treeline was observed on Tuesday.  WIndward slopes have been stripped bare by winds over the past several days

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.