Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Nov 26 – 27, 2015Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 11 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

Once again we have a forecast telling us to expect a sharp rise in the freezing level. Watch for rising temperatures tomorrow and signs of local instability. Wet cliffs, pinwheeling or small loose wet avalanches are all indicators of rising temps.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2
    These slabs will linger for some time yet. Steep unsupported pockets remain the concern. With the predicted rise in freezing level, there is a chance the reactivity will increase on steep solar aspects.

Confidence

Fair - Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain

Weather Forecast

Another clear day for tomorrow. Our forecasts are saying there will be a drastic change in freezing level. We are expecting it to rise to 2600m tomorrow afternoon. The winds will be mostly calm with the odd gust to 30km/hr. This warm spell is expected to stick around for awhile yet. The models suggest it will persist until Sunday night. After that it will stay clear, but cool off significantly.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new.

Snowpack Summary

The calm, cold, clear nights have promoted the growth of a new surface hoar layer. With the long clear spell ahead of us, this will continue to grow. Surface facetting has also become more noticeable in the last few days as well. Other than that the snowpack has seen little change, except for some settlement. Snow depth at Burstall parking lot is 65cm, Burstall Pass is 80cm and Highwood Pass is 64cm.

Regions covered