Kananaskis Country Backcountry Avalanche Report

Last Avalanche Report Entered On: Thursday, February 02, 2012 2:49:00 PM
Report Valid For Period Starting: Friday, February 03, 2012 until further notice.

This report is for backcountry terrain only. Skiing conditions for facility areas are not included in this report. For current trail conditions please see our Trail Reports.

	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Alpine
Treeline
Below Treeline

Discussion:

Clear and sunny in the Kananaskis Region on Thursday.  No new snow fell and looking at the weather models for the next few days, doesn’t look like much is going to.  The warm temps and clear skies were causing some deterioration in stability on steep solar aspects later in the day so we can expect a temperature crust to have formed on solar aspects up to treeline. 

Problem 1 – Wind Slabs:  Several layers of wind slab now exist at alpine and treeline elevations, especially on N and E aspects. Both hard slabs and soft slabs can be found and layers of concern exist down 15 to 25cm and 30 to 50cm deep. This problem is becoming more stubborn to trigger, but steep and unsupported slopes should still be avoided.

Problem 2 – Deep Persistent Slabs: Buried slabs formed in November continue to be a concern in alpine and treeline features because they sit on a weak base of facets and depth hoar. Although the probability of triggering this layer is low in most areas, the consequences are high as a slide would likely involve the entire season’s snowpack. Shallow snowpack areas and rocky outcrops are the most likely trigger points.

A few loose avalanches up to size 1 were observed from steep solar aspects related to strong solar radiation.  Other than this, no new natural avalanche activity was observed.

Forecasters got a good look around and into Alpine terrain on Thursday.  Honestly, in the time that this forecaster has worked here, Ive never seen this much wind affect and bare features in Alpine areas.  Unfortunately, no new snow is in the forecast here for the next few days as we are under the influence of a strong high pressure ridge.  Watch for decreases in stability on solar aspects due to the strong solar radiation we are now seeing.  These decreases will be most apparent around thin rocky areas.

Backcountry Travel Conditions:

Travel is generally easy due to the low ski penetrations.
Look for the weak layer by digging before committing to a line.
Be aware of thin areas that may propagate to deeper instabilities.
The best skiing will be found in sheltered areas.

Issued By: mk