Avalanche forecast

Kananaskis

Jan 19 – 20, 2017Alberta Parks
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Archived · expired 10 years ago

Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Cooler temps will help to tighten up the treeline snowpack. As it transitions, keep an eye out for signs of lingering weaknesses. Inspect the snowpack frequently and don't jump into terrain blindly.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    The last storm missed us almost completely. What little snow we did get has been blown into windslabs on lee aspects. Given the weak underlying layers, terrain choices should still be conservative while the snowpack adjusts.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3
    These layer is now down 50-70cm at treeline. Neighboring areas are seeing small avalanches stepping down to this layer creating large avalanches.

Confidence

High -

Weather Forecast

Treeline winds will continue to be in the  25 km/hr range for tonight. The temperatures are also expected to fall tonight to -10°.  Tomorrow will be cloudy with generally cooler temps. Winds will be light out of SW. As the week end approaches, temps will become more seasonal. As for snow, we aren't expecting anything significant.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches today

Snowpack Summary

The snow from the last storm cycle has been re-distributed by the strong to extreme westerly winds. This transport is more evident at the alpine elevations where crossloading and lee loading have occurred. These new wind slabs will are easily seen and/or predicted on N to SE aspects. Treeline suffers from the same problem, however the loading pattern is a bit trickier to predict. The slabs are 10-20cm thick and reactive to skier terrain in steep, unsupported terrain. The treeline midpack, is still considered weak and un supportive. Below treeline, the coverage is still shallow with very poor travel conditions when off an existing trail.

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