Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 14th, 2024–Feb 16th, 2024

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.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Good skiing in many areas above treeline but some popular places have seen lots of traffic. Continue to evaluate the bond between the new snow and the underlying crust from early Feb. If the winds pick up, windslabs will become more reactive quickly.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Isolated sluffing up to sz 1 from extreme terrain.

Snowpack Summary

10-30cm of recent snow is now overlying the Feb 3rd crust. This crust is anywhere from 0.5cm to 5cm thick up to 2500m and is on the thinner side on North aspects. Natural sluffing has subsided but can still gain momentum with skier traffic on steeper slopes. Some wind slab development in the alpine have been reported but so far, it is quite isolated to the higher alpine features. Ski quality is dust on crust in the alpine. The depth of the snowpack still varies from 70-130cm. Some popular areas have seen lots of traffic and look "resorty".

Weather Summary

Mix of sun and cloud with light northerly winds and cool temperatures around -24C in the morning warming up to -16C midday. There is a chance of light flurries early in the AM.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

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.