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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 31st, 2014–Jan 1st, 2015

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

Its hard to keep the radar on during these spells of consistent hazard. Remember to always look for changes in conditions and look at the snowpack with a critical eye. Sheltered areas at treeline are the best bet for good turns.

Weather Forecast

We'll see the NW flow continue for another day. In the alpine, the temperatures will hold steady at the -10 to -5 range for tomorrow. The winds will stay moderate near the divide, but the front ranges can expect another windy day. As for new snow, we'll have to wait a bit yet. Nothing significant is expected.

Avalanche Summary

no new

Snowpack Summary

Not much has changed in the last 24hours. The winds have recently spiked with the arrival of the warm temperatures. Some snow has been redistributed, but it seems this is more pronounced at lower elevations. The persistent layers are still the prominent feature in the snowpack. The Dec 13th rain crust is down 20-30cm's at 2200m. The mid pack is giving us the strength in the snowpack. It is consistently dense and bridging the weaker deep layers. The bottom layers are now one thick layer of facets and depth hoar.

Problems

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.