Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Jan 9 – 10, 2017Alberta Parks
View on map
Archived · expired 10 years ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Up to 15cm of new snow has spruced up the skiing, but done little to the hazard level so far. Having said that, watch for isolated pockets of wind slab in the Alpine that may be build over the next 12 to 24hrs.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3
    These slabs are failing down 30-50cm at the main density change. Human triggering from a thin snowpack area is a definite possibility.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3
    More likely to be triggered from thinner areas and step down to the November crust producing larger avalanches.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Light flurries tonight will give way to a mostly sunny day on Tuesday and a return to frigid temperatures. The high temperature in the Alpine should reach -22 °C with light NW winds. Wind chill values will be significant. No precipitation is expected for the rest of the week.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new was observed today, but visibility was quite limited.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 15cm of new snow overnight with some minor wind effect in Alpine. The Dec 18th interface is buried 30 to 60cm at Treeline and remains a concern for human triggering. The Nov crust is buried 80 to 100cm deep and is exhibiting facetting both above and below the crust. At lower elevations the snowpack is weak and unsupportive due to prolonged periods of facetting.

Regions covered