Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2021–Mar 30th, 2021

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis.

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

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

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.

Avalanche Summary

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.

Snowpack Summary

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.

Terrain and Travel

  • 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.

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.