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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 26th, 2016–Dec 27th, 2016

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
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Don't let a lack of natural activity fool you into trusting the snow pack. The Dec 18th layer is going to linger for a long time yet! Sheltered areas at treeline will be the best bet for decent skiing.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Continued winds overnight tonight. Ridge top winds will be from the west and average about 45km/hr. Tomorrow will be similar to today. -13 as a high, no new snow and still windy (40-50km/hr) up high.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new today

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20cm of recent snow throughout the region. Below treeline this has helped the travel conditions slightly, but not enough to recommend valley bottom travel as a trip in itself. Treeline is where the difference is felt. Where the wind hasn't touched the snow, there is the new surface snow with little structure beneath it. Where the wind has gotten to it, there is a denser layer on top of the weak mid pack. It gives an "upside down" feel while skiing. This upside down snow doesn't pose an avalanche problem until open areas at treeline, where it has more of a slab character. There is a mix of surface slabs and buried slabs that all sit on the Dec 18th facet layer. The upper ranges of treeline and alpine elevations all remain variable with almost immediate transitions between soft snow and windslab. These "laminated" slabs are up to 60cm thick and are more common in wind prone areas and below cliffs. In many alpine areas the wind slabs can be extremely dense and may propagate further than expected.

Problems

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.