Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Feb 17th, 2019 3:00PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs.

matt.mueller, Alberta Parks

Kananaskis.

Good skiing can be had in sheltered treeline and alpine areas. Expect fresh windslabs in the high alpine.

Summary

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Tomorrow will have light, intermittent cloud cover and no snow. Temps will creep up to about -10 by late afternoon. Winds will still be light in the alpine and treeline areas. The north flow will shift to a NW by the evening.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new today.

Snowpack Summary

A few more centimeters fell last night. At the moment we have 15-20cm of new snow from the last few days. This is sitting on more snow from previous storms. Amazingly, the low elevation winds have been light enough lately to keep this new snow light and relatively slab free. The alpine has seen some isolated wind affect, but this is limited to the bigger, more exposed peaks and open slopes. Windslabs are the main concern right now. We're seeing them around the bottoms of large cliffs and isolated pockets near ridge lines. The weak basal layers are still there, and as unconsolidated as ever. What is saving us from a nightmare of a snowpack is the mid pack bridging effect. The mid pack has enough strength and depth that triggering the bottom layers is becoming more difficult. The key to avoiding trouble is avoiding thin areas where the bridging is minimal.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Surface slabs exist near the bottoms of cliffs and immediate lee areas.

Avoid travelling under cliffs that are exposed to sluffing from above.Caution in lee and cross-loaded terrain near ridge crests.

Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Feb 18th, 2019 2:00PM