Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 24th, 2020–Mar 25th, 2020

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

Please consider staying home and not exposing yourself to unnecessary hazards. The health care system is currently working hard on the COVID19 situation. Dont add to there workload. "Aspen Extreme" is a great ski movie Classic to watch from home!

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Mix of sun and cloud on Wednesday with light flurries. Winds will be light to moderate out of the SW aand temps around -6C at 2300m (treeline).  

Avalanche Summary

Some sluffing in steep terrain especially in places where the new snow is overlying the previous sun crust. 

Snowpack Summary

10cm fell overnight bringing recent storm snow totals up to 25cm in the alpine. With little winds over the past two days windslab development has been minimal. The new snow sluffs easily where overlying the crust that developed last week on solar aspects and is slowly settling on the polar aspects. Thin weak areas are still places that we are avoiding for fear of awakening the deep basal layers. 

Terrain and Travel

  • Avoid convexities, steep unsupported terrain and rocky outcroppings.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of a deep persistent slab.
  • Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.

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.