Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis, North 40, Spray - KLakes.
Wind slabs are still a a concern for human triggering. Choose conservative terrain features, especially at higher elevations.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been observed in the past 24hrs.
Snowpack Summary
Most ridges are back to being gravel or old snow and many treed areas have been blown clean. This has led to wind slabs in most lee and cross-loaded areas. Many of the avalanches from the last few days have been filled in with only the debris deposits being visible. There's a good chance the crust from the last rain storm is exposed in wind prone areas. While the wind slabs are the main concern, don't forget the deeper layers are still players in the avalanche game. Dig down and keep track of the crust's location/condition/reactivity and remember, in some areas the early December surface hoar layer may still be intact. The snowpack is still very shallow and travel at lower elevations is challenging.
Weather Summary
Mainly sunny skies on Wednesday with strong to extreme SW winds. An above freezing level layer may form between 2200 and 3500m. No precip expected until Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
- Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind slabs are present in almost all lee and cross-loaded features. Human triggering is still a concern.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3
Persistent Slabs
Be mindful of the weak layers towards the base of the snowpack. In specific lee and cross-loaded features, this layer could be triggered.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3