Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 26th, 2022–Dec 27th, 2022

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Some snow, some rain and of course winds from the SW are doing nothing good for the snowpack in the short term. In the alpine the windslabs are growing with the little bit of new snow, and in the valley's the travel is almost impossible unless you are on an established track.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed or reported today.

Snowpack Summary

10cm of new snow with the top 3-5cm being moist, sits above the Dec16th surface hoar layer. Below that the Nov 16th Surface hoar layer is starting to show signs of faceting out, However we were able to get repeatable Moderate compression results on this layer. Below is extreme faceting to ground with depth hoar.

Weather Summary

7cm forecasted, joined by moderate to strong Southwest winds. The freezing levels will be around 1900m. The spray road sits at about 1850m, So expect rain at lower elevations and moist snow above.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.

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.