Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Feb 20 – 21, 2015Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Stability has improved, but the ski quality is still variable. Forecasters have had good skiing on north facing slopes at treeline.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    With cooler temps these slabs will tighten up and be less concerning. Having said that, steep(40degree plus)convex terrain will be the terrain to assess and approach with some caution still.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    3–5
    The widespread cycle last week has eliminated this problem from many areas. Alpine slopes that haven't avalanched yet will still have the potential for these avalanches. Use this to help choose terrain

Confidence

Good

Weather Forecast

It looks like another decent day tomorrow. We're expecting mixed sky conditions in the AM with a clearing trend throughout later half of the day. A few scattered flurries are expected, but accumulations will be minimal. The temps will be a bit cooler with alpine highs of -12. Winds will be 15km/hr out of the north with gusts to 45 km/hr.

Avalanche Summary

Nothing new.

Snowpack Summary

We had a dusting of new snow today to freshen up the skiing. Near the divide there was 8cm's and on the road there was 2cm. Not much, but enough to smooth out the icy uptracks. Below treeline there is 80-100cm's of well settled snow with no avalanche concerns. At treeline the snowpack continues to be supportive and very well settled. A profile at Burtstall Pass today had 176 cm's of snow with no shears noted. Overall the treeline snowpack there is very solid with a foot penetration of only 19cm's. Stability tests showed no failures within the top 110cm's. A rare situation for us! There are some isolated windslabs lingering, but none are a huge concern. Just something to watch for and monitor as the day unfolds. In the alpine the windy appearance has returned. Most gullies are crossloaded with various windslabs. Skiing was reported to be challenging in the alpine right now.

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