Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 22nd, 2022–Dec 23rd, 2022

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

As temperatures creep up, and motivation returns, remember that our snowpack isn't as much of a "pack" as we'd like. Tip toe around and ease into things. The avalanche game is getting serious with our poor excuse of a snowpack. Especially if winds pick up!

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new.

Snowpack Summary

Low density snow, facets, sugar snow, depth hoar, loose snow...these are all terms we can use to describe our current snowpack. Its safe to say the cold has turned the majority of our valley bottom and treeline snowpack into a quivering pile of facets. Having said that, there are remnants of windslabs tucked away in windprone treeline and alpine areas, old ski tracks and even some fresh windslabs near exposed ridges to still think about.

Weather Summary

Wednesday

Saturday

Its not much of a "warming" trend, but we'll take whatever we can get! Overnight lows on the Spray are expected to be only -29, morning temp of -26 and a daytime high of -21. As the "warm" air arrives, winds will pick up from the west. Expect moderate winds at ridge top. As for snow? Keep wishing, Christmas is just around the corner maybe we'll get some then.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.

Problems

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.

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.