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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 26th, 2020–Nov 27th, 2020

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
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Wind slabs in open areas and good skiing in sheltered places. Approach the Alpine with caution.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Friday will bring yet another windy day with strong Westerly winds. Temperatures will start to warm up to -1c with a mixed bag of sun, cloud and flurries.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been noted.

Snowpack Summary

Expect to find wind slabs in the alpine and loose snow in sheltered areas. The two layers that are being tracked right now are:

1. Several generations of wind slabs in the upper 40cm of the snowpack producing moderate to hard test results.

2.The November 5 crust is sitting about 50cm off the ground. You can find up to 10cm of facets sitting overtop of the crust and still producing test results on the facets. This layer is found all the way into the alpine.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

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.