Kananaskis

Wind slabs are reactive after the recent storm. Conservative terrain choices are advised.

Tuesday will start off cold with a mix of sun and cloud. Temperatures will rise to near -8 with light to moderate westerly winds. Light flurries are possible Monday night and then again later on Tuesday.

One naturally triggered size 3 wind slab was observed on a north aspect in the Alpine that was 100cm deep and 200m wide and ran full path. Several more wind slabs up to size 2.5 were also observed in the northern part of the forecast region, but these were not running as far. Loose dry avalanches in the size 1 to 1.5 range were also observed in steeper terrain today.

Avalanche control on EEOR today produced several size 2 slides. Notably, one of the slabs propagated very well, probably due to the specific terrain feature's exposure to wind loading in the last 24 hours.

20 to 30cm of snow fell overnight depending on elevation. Some limited wind effect was observed at 2400m and above, but there were limited Alpine observations today. In most cases this recent snow appears well bonded at lower elevations, but observations on a solar aspect indicate that there could be a shear of concern down 30cm. This will be one to watch for the next couple of days, especially considering that several avalanches were observed in the Alpine today despite the limited visibility.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Be carefull with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.
• Avoid lee and cross-loaded terrain.
• Avoid steep convex slopes.
• Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
• Be cautious of sluffing.