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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2014–Mar 30th, 2014

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Pay close attention to winds.  Lots of new snow is available for transport at higher elevations so when winds increase, new slabs will build quickly.

Confidence

Fair

Weather Forecast

Another system is expected to cross over the forecast region here today with up to 15cm of new snow expected over the next 48hrs.  Moderate winds are forecast to persist out of the SW at higher elevations so watch for snow transport at treeline elevations and above.

Avalanche Summary

Suprisingly little natural avalanche activity but we did observed 1 Sz 2 avalanche on the south face of Commonwealth ridge area.  The slab was 150-200cm deep and 80m wide but we were unable to tell how far it ran. 

Snowpack Summary

Not much change out there today.  An additional 10cm of new snow fell overnight with some isolated moderate westerly winds at higher elevations.  These winds are building new windslabs on lee features but so far, these slabs do not seem to extend far downslope.  Moist snow was observed on solar aspects later in the day.

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.