Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Nov 30 – Dec 1, 2020Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 6 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

Very windy again today. Caution on any snow that has been wind affected or lee loaded. Approach lee features and gullies with caution.     

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2.5

    Hard windslabs are widespread in alpine areas and even down into treeline. Listen for that drummy or hollow feel as an indication to be extra careful.    

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–3

    Exposed, west facing alpine slopes have been stripped bare. This means the Nov 5 layer will be buried deeper than expected in some areas. In turn, this means that deeper layer will be more stressed with the additional load. 

Confidence

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the extreme variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

Weather Forecast

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed.

Snowpack Summary

Evidence of widespread wind slabs at tree line and above. The lee features and cross loaded gullies are especially looking fat from last week's wind events. The November crust is down 40-100cm and is producing anywhere from moderate to no results.  

Terrain and Travel

  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.

Regions covered