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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 17th, 2020–Dec 18th, 2020

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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
Below Threshold.
Treeline
Below Threshold.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Steady winds have created new wind slabs to watch for. If the snow feels "cakey" beneath your feet or you punch through while walking, choose low angle terrain with no over head snow exposure.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

A cloudy day tomorrow with nothing for significant snow. Temps will be in the -8 to -5 range with gusty winds from the west. Expect gusts of 30km/hr.

Avalanche Summary

No field trip today, and nothing was seen on the drive along the Spray valley.

Snowpack Summary

Our storm didn't pan out last night, but the winds sure did! Lots of transport today with new slabs at treeline and alpine elevations. As the slabs grow, the Dec 8th layer may become reactive. It all depends on the specific loading pattern. Expect the Dec 8th to be down anywhere from 20-50cm. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

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.