Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 9th, 2024–Dec 10th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Be careful around lee features, convex rolls and cross loaded gullies. These features are more sensitive to human triggering. Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed or reported today.

Snowpack Summary

This last weekend's snowfall left anywhere from 5cm at valley bottom and upwards of 20cm in the alpine. Recent strong winds have loaded lee features, convex rolls along ridges, and cross loaded gullies. These features are our biggest concern at the moment. Some cracking and soft slabs were ski cut today by the forecasting team in the Burstall Pass area.

The December 7 crust layer is isolated and more likely on solar aspects; time will tell if this layer will be a big concern. The October crust is located in the bottom 20cm of the snowpack and is still producing test results in our snow pits. The November crust is not as widespread and is found about 30cm off the ground. The snowpack is generally thin and weak except in the Burstall Pass region where the height of snow is over 100cm and the snowpack is stronger. Check out our snow profile below:

Weather Summary

Temperatures on Tuesday will hover around -8c. Click on the table below for more weather info.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
Use conservative route selection and resist venturing into complex terrain.
Avoid steep terrain that is rocky and thin.

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.