Avalanche Forecast
Kananaskis Country, Alberta Parks
This weekend limit your exposure to avalanche terrain. Recent snow has overloaded the snowpack triggering large avalanches. Special Public Avalanche warning is in effect. Click Here
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- If triggered the storm/wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
- Select routes that do not travel in or under avalanche terrain.
Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Widepsread avalanche activity observed recently stepping down to the persistent deep layers such as Jan 6th Surface hoar and the Dec 15th Facet surface hoar interface.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of run out zones.
Avalanche Problem 3: Storm Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Watch for these problems at treeline and below where the recent snow has settled into a reactive slab.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Select routes that do not travel in or under avalanche terrain.
- If triggered the storm slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Avalanche Summary
This was our first good day to look around and we saw widespread avalanche activity up to sz 3.5 on all aspects and at all elevations. When the sun did come out, solar aspects became more reactive and natural avalanche activity was observed later in the day in these areas. A popular run know as "Purple Bowl" what we call the Dog Leg Slide path released size 3 taking out all previous tracks and running full path to its historic run outs. Many fracture lines at treeline were also observed down 1m likely failing on the Jan 6th SH layers.
Snowpack Summary
Solar radiation played a big role on friday as the sun is beginning to have enough punch to begin to make the snow moist on steep solar aspects later in the day. The solar input triggerred rapid settlement and avalanche activity up to sz 3 on solar aspects. We are still dealing with a complex, reactive snowpack at this time. Wind slabs in the upper snowpack as well as the deep persistent problems are our major concerns at this time. The recent snow is overloading the myriad of weak layers that we currently have within the snowpack and causing widespread large destructive avalanches. Many of the weak layers are 100-150cm deep so evaluating them in field tests is challenging. This weekend will be a good time to stay out of avalanche terrain and minimize your exposure to overhead hazards.
Weather Forecast
No new snow is expected over the next 24hrs but we are expecting the winds to increase out of the NW into the moderate range. Temperatures will be a bit more seasonal with -12c. Already solar radiation is starting to play a role in terms of stability. Avoid being under steep solar aspects as conditions warm up.
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Found at treeline and above up to 50cm thick. They are being found on all aspects due to reverse loading patterns of recent winds.