Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 14th, 2025–Jan 16th, 2025

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Cooler temperatures are destined to move into the region on Thursday with light snow as the front approaches. We will take any snow we can as many areas are well below average for snowpack depths.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed.

Snowpack Summary

Winds have created some wind slabs in the alpine, especially on lee sides of mountain passes and cross loaded gullies. The snowpack varies a lot. Thicker areas at tree line and above with close to 100cm of snow have a much denser and stronger snowpack while most areas below tree line have 40-50cm and consist mostly of facets(sugar snow).

The weak basal facets are still a concern and have a potential to be triggered from thin snowpack areas which are still plentiful at this time.

Weather Summary

A cloudy day is forecast with temps around -2 in the afternoon. Winds will continue out of the NW into the moderate range and no new snow is forecast.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.