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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 11th, 2022–Mar 12th, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

Winds continue to strip and load lee features, mostly in the alpine. Great skiing can still be found in sheltered locations.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Day time high's around -10. Up to 5cm of snow. Winds will be 20km/h out of the Southwest. Gusting to 40km and dying off Saturday evening. You can expect clouds to be in and out throughout the day.

Avalanche Summary

No field teams today and no reports of any avalanche activity.

Snowpack Summary

Steady moderate SW winds have contuined to build wind slabs in lee and crossloaded aspects. These seem reasonably well bonded, but in shallow areas they are more reactive. Treeline and below still feel quite settled with only localized windslabs being a problem. The crust is still the main concern and deserves respect as there are likely loose sugary facets on top of it. Solar aspects at all elevations should be evaluated. It is down 30-40cm now.

Terrain and Travel

  • Be aware of highly variable recent wind loading patterns.
  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.

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.