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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2020–Dec 17th, 2020

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

Regions

Kananaskis.

Strong winds and snow on the way. Approach tree line with this in mind. Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Thursday is forecast to bring 10-15cm of snow, along with strong SW winds and a temperature of -7c in the alpine. Expect fresh wind slabs to begin forming.

Avalanche Summary

Only some spindrift was observed out of steep cliffs.

Snowpack Summary

Thursday is expected to bring 10-15cm of snow for a total of about 30-40cm of loose snow that is starting to move around in the alpine. The concern now is when this turns into a fresh wind slab, it will be sitting on top of the December 8 crust which will be about 30-40cm down. This 0.5cm crust was formed during the warm spell 10 days ago and is quite a smooth surface for a slab to release on. Approach tree line and lee features with your radar on. With all this snow and wind coming, cornices will begin to grow.

Terrain and Travel

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

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.