Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Kananaskis.
Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas. The strong winds are continuing so be aware of continued wind slab formation.
Confidence
Moderate -
Weather Forecast
Thursday is forecast to be another windy day, mostly from the NW. Skies will be a mix of sun and cloud with a high of -8c.
Avalanche Summary
Several loose dry avalanches up to size 1.5, mostly on E aspects.
Snowpack Summary
About 10-15cm of loose snow is sitting on top of a couple of generations of wind slabs which are generally starting to tighten up. In the Alpine, the winds have continued to be strong, so there is a concern for wind slabs, especially in lee features and gullies. The big concern is the November 5 rain crust which is down 50-80cm and up to 2500m depending upon the drainage you are in. In some places, there is up to 10cm of facets sitting on top of the Nov. crust and producing sudden planar results. So take the time to dig and see what this layer is doing. This layer will be on our radar as more snow will accumulate on it.
Terrain and Travel
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
- Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Watch for windslabs in alpine areas in the upper snowpack. Gullies and ridgelines are common areas to find these issues.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5
Persistent Slabs
Recent test results indicate moderate to hard results on facets above the Nov crust layer.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 3