Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 22nd, 2023–Dec 24th, 2023

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.

Temperatures will cool tomorrow and we may see 5-8cm of new snow fall over the next 24hrs. Hopefully Santa surprises us with a big storm before Christmas!

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches

Snowpack Summary

Widespread wind affect exists in alpine areas from strong westerly winds throughout the past week. Expect to encounter gravel on the windward side and hard windslabs on the lee. Be cautious around thin areas wherein you may be able to cause a failure in the weak basal facet and depth hoar layers. Up to around 2300m expect to encounter the Dec 5th rain crust down 20-40cm which will be a layer worth following through this winter. The freezing level on Friday was around 2100m with moist snow below this elevation. These warmer temperatures will help us long term in the winter but in the short term, its pretty grim looking out there.

Weather Summary

Freezing levels and temperatures will drop overnight with up to 8cm of snow forecast to call. Expect overnight lows around -15C and winds light out of the NW moving into Saturday.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
Avoid rock outcroppings, convexities, and anywhere the snowpack is thin and/or variable.

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.