Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Dec 9 – 10, 2015Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Recently formed storm slabs are sensitive to natural and human triggering. The Dec 4th weak layer will be one to watch for some time to come. Conservative route selection is in order.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Expect sluffing in steep terrain at Treeline and above.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–4
    Storm slabs sitting on top of the Dec 4th interface are found in the Alpine and at Treeline in lee and cross-loaded features. Recent field tests indicate that these slabs are sensitive to human triggering.

Confidence

High

Weather Forecast

Thursday will be mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine temperatures should reach a high -6 °C. Ridge-top winds will be out of the south at 20-35 km/h. Friday and Saturday will bring a slight cooling trend.

Avalanche Summary

Several small loose dry avalanches were observed today mostly in steep Alpine terrain. Observation were somewhat limited due to limited visibility.

Snowpack Summary

12 to 15cm of new snow in the past 24hrs brings storm snow totals up to 35 to 45cm. The Dec 4th interface of surface hoar, sun crust and facets is very sensitive to snowpack stability tests indicating a high likelihood of human triggering. Storm slabs sitting on the Dec 4th interface are found in lee and cross-loaded terrain at Treeline and above.

Regions covered