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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 17th, 2021–Dec 18th, 2021

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.

Winds were a bit stronger than forecasted last night and today. If good skiing is the goal, look for sheltered areas that have preserved the better snow.

Confidence

Moderate -

Weather Forecast

Hopefully a bit warmer tonight with a low of -20 and a day time high of -12. Partly cloudy skies with a few flurries in the afternoon. Ridge winds will ramp up slightly during the day, topping out at 30km/hr from the SW

Avalanche Summary

Only a few small loose dry avalanches to size 1 on steep sunny slopes this afternoon.

Snowpack Summary

A flight through the region today gave us a good look at the alpine and treeline areas. It appears as though the wind has scoured many open or exposed areas. Not a lot of exposed gravel yet, but lots of rough looking snow surfaces out there. Beneath that, there's not a lot of change to the snowpack as a whole. The Dec 1st crust (down 60-80cm) is our main layer to watch as it breaks down and builds facets. Windslabs are also on the radar, but they will produce relatively small avalanches and they tend to be more isolated in nature.

Terrain and Travel

  • Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
  • Avoid steep, unsupported slopes.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.