Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Dec 23 – 24, 2013Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The October layer of facets/depth hoar/crust has been associated with 6 avalanche involvements so far this season! This layer is here to stay and should be an important consideration in route selection.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Wind slabs are found in the Alpine and open areas at Treeline. No recent natural avalanches have been associated with this problem, but human triggering is still possible, especially along ridge crests or in steep and unsupported terrain.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    2–4
    Avalanches could step down to the basal October crust (or the ground) and involve the entire winters snowpack, especially in shallow snowpack areas. Some whumpfing has been experienced in recent days.

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

Mainly cloudy with a only trace amounts of precipitation expected over the next several days. Winds will be strong from the West and Alpine temperatures are expected to be in the -7 to -15 range.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new observed or reported.

Snowpack Summary

Overall the snowpack is weak and facetted at lower elevations. At treeline and above wind slabs are present in lee and cross-loaded features. In addition, concern remains for the October facet/crust/depth hoar layer. Whumpfing has been observed in recent days and confidence is low in the integrity of this layer.

Regions covered