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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 25th, 2020–Nov 26th, 2020

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.
Alpine
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas. The strong winds are continuing so be aware of continued wind slab formation.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Thursday is forecast to be another windy day, mostly from the NW. Skies will be a mix of sun and cloud with a high of -8c.

Avalanche Summary

Several loose dry avalanches up to size 1.5, mostly on E aspects.

Snowpack Summary

About 10-15cm of loose snow is sitting on top of a couple of generations of wind slabs which are generally starting to tighten up. In the Alpine, the winds have continued to be strong, so there is a concern for wind slabs, especially in lee features and gullies. The big concern is the November 5 rain crust which is down 50-80cm and up to 2500m depending upon the drainage you are in. In some places, there is up to 10cm of facets sitting on top of the Nov. crust and producing sudden planar results. So take the time to dig and see what this layer is doing. This layer will be on our radar as more snow will accumulate on it.

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.

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.