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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 19th, 2016–Feb 20th, 2016

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

Choosing smart terrain is the name of the game right now. Choose supported terrain, without terrain traps. Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas at treeline.

Confidence

High

Weather Forecast

Isolated flurries tonight, not leaving much for accumulation. Alpine low will be around -6 with a freezing level of 1300m. Winds will be 25-35km/hr from the SW.Tomorrow will see more flurries with trace accumulation. Alpine high of -5. Alpine winds will still be strong from the west with gusts up to 55km/hr. Freezing level 1500m.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches

Snowpack Summary

We have yet another crust from yesterday's heat. It is thin and apparent up to 1900m. It may be higher on solar aspects. At the moment, new snow from last night has the crust down 5 cm's at valley bottom. Yesterday saw up to 14cm's of snow near the divide and 5-7 closer to the road. At treeline and above, this relatively warm snow was blown into new storm slabs. These slabs appear quite suddenly in open, exposed terrain. Expect to find them near 2100m. The buried wind slabs below are starting to heal up reasonably well, but we have seen a failure down 30cm's in some areas. Cornices are forming rapidly and should be treated with caution. Mud lake snow depth is 112cm and Burstall Pass is 159cm's.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

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.