Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Regions
Kananaskis.
Conditions are starting to improve but that can all change with the winds. Winds are forecast to increase into the Moderate range out of the SW on Sunday so watch overhead. Stability may change throughout the day.
Confidence
High
Weather Forecast
Forecasts are calling for 4-6cm of new snow overnight which will help heal a few of the more tracked out areas. Temps are expected to remain cooler and we can also expect to see the winds increase out of the SW into the moderate range. Lots of snow is available for transport so winds will be a good thing to keep an eye on.
Avalanche Summary
No new activity was observed on Saturday but there is evidence of some larger avalanches up to sz 2.5 that ran close to full path likely failing within the storm snow down 60cm. See facebook page for pictures.
Snowpack Summary
Lots going on in the snowpack right now. Below 2100m the Dec 4th surface hoar persistent weak layer is down 30-40cm down and is being found in most areas.... but not all. This later is up to 20mm big in some places so being curious about the snowpack, digging and looking for this layer is important. It is failing easily in snowpack tests in sheltered terrain. As you transition into Alpine areas, the surface hoar problem decreases and the main concern becomes windslabs in the upper snowpack. These slabs are not widespread as of yet, but that can all change when the winds increase as they always do. Seems so weird to us to have a midpack thats strength...
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.