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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2013–Mar 29th, 2013

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

Avalanche Danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE or HIGH each day on solar aspects due to intense solar radiation. Treat sun-exposed slopes and cornices with extreme caution in the afternoons. Start early, finish early!

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

A few clouds and light NW winds are expected on Friday. Freezing levels will climb to near 2100m during the day. No precipitation is expected.

Avalanche Summary

Sluffing up to size 1.5 was observed today on solar aspects starting around 11:00am. One size 2.5 cornice failure occurred on a N aspect at 2800m. This cornice triggered a slab on the underlying slopes.

Snowpack Summary

Crusts are becoming thicker each day on solar aspects as the melt-freeze cycles continue. The snowpack is settling rapidly at lower elevations. Cornices are large and sagging. Isolated pockets of wind slab remain at higher elevations on northerly aspects.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.