Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Dec 22 – 23, 2016Alberta Parks
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Avalanche danger

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

A few cm of snow is forecast to fall over the next few days but the damage is done by the winds.  Watch for hard windslabs in open terrain. Ask Santa for more snow... especially below treeline.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    2–3
    Stiff windslabs should be expected in all alpine terrain and specific terrain such as gullies and ridgelines at treeline.  Be aware of the potential for entire terrain features to be involved if an avalanche occurs.

Confidence

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations on Thursday

Weather Forecast

Winds are expected to begin to back off tomorrow and we may see a weak pulse of snow move into the region over the next few days.  10-15cm is forecast by Christmas eve.

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanches were observed on Thursday. 

Snowpack Summary

Not much is changing out there at this time.  Our main concern at this time is the widespread hard slabs that should be expected in alpine areas.  These slabs are up to 50cm thick in some areas and are quite stiff so they have the ability to propagate across a terrain features such as a bowl or gully.  The areas where you may be able to trigger the weak underlying facets will be important to be aware of.  Avoid thin snowpack areas especially in steep or unsupported terrain.  Sheltered areas are the place to be but the problem is the snowpack below 2000m is still quite thin, or weak and facetted.  Happy hunting.

Regions covered