Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 23rd, 2024–Apr 24th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Good overnight freezes and easy travel are the norm right now. Enjoy the spring like travel and ski conditions.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new observed or reported.

Snowpack Summary

A solid overnight freeze which was holding well in to the early afternoon in valley bottoms. Solar aspects will have a melt freeze crust to mountain top and North aspects are well settled. There may be some fresh windslabs from the recent intense winds on Sunday, so caution when transitioning into wind affected terrain. Remember the bottom of the snowpack is weak, faceted and full of depth hoar, this will remain with us until it melts away.

Weather Summary

Wednesday will see the start of a pattern change. Cloudier skies trace amounts of snow and freezing levels hovering around 2500m. Later in the week there is a possibility of 20cm of snow to arrive by Friday night.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.