Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Kananaskis.
A subtle inversion has kept the Spray relatively warm the past few days. This pattern will last for atleast another day, making for good skiing at treeline elevations. As the warming trend continues, expect the snowpack to "relax" and possibly become more likely to avalanche.
Confidence
No Rating -
Weather Forecast
Overnight low of -18 on the Spray Road with a day time high of -10. This has been the pattern the last few days, so there is some confidence it will be true. A few flurries are also expected, but not much accumulation. Winds will be 30-50km/hr from the SW, with a slight increase mid afternoon.
Avalanche Summary
Only minor sluffing out of steep terrain today.
Snowpack Summary
The snow continues to grow with the intermittent flurries this week. Treeline has about 130-150cm. The Dec 31 SH/FC layer is down about 50cm (at treeline) and so far not a huge problem. Having said that, as the surface snow becomes more dense it may become a problem. The mid pack is generally strong despite the cold temps. As for the bottom layers, they are still loose and "sugary". While mostly shielded by the upper layers, these deep layers could fail with a large load, or impact in thin area.
Terrain and Travel
- Be aware of the possibility for full depth avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Lots of wind transport today. Expect new slabs in the alpine by tomorrow. Buried slabs exist at treeline.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, South.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Deep Persistent Slabs
Areas that haven't previously avalanched are still concerning. Avoid being exposed to these slopes, even in the lower runout zones.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2