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Backcountry Avalanche Report

Last Avalanche Report Entered On : Tuesday, February 09, 2010 2:53:00 PM

Report Valid For Period Starting : Wednesday, February 10, 2010 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.

Avalanche Danger ScaleWednesdayThursdayFriday
AlpineModerateModerateModerate
TreelineLowLowLow
Below TreelineLowLowLow

Discussion:

Wednesday brought a beautiful day to the region with mostly sunny skies and calm winds. Temperatures were cool overnight, but warmed to -4 in the shade. Large surface hoar crystals have grown all the way to ridgetop and will be a layer to watch for once it snows again.

The snowpack is settling with the continued warm daytime temperatures. Very little wind effect is present at all elevations, but isolated pockets of soft slab do exist in lee and cross-loaded terrain. N and E aspects are the most common areas to find the windslab. Several bold and aggressive lines have been skied over the last few days and at least one party had a bit of a surprise on Tent Ridge recently (see Avalanche Activity below). Currently, the biggest issue to forecasters is the warm and sunny conditions. Watch for a rapid increase in avalanche hazard on solar aspects due to daytime heating and radiation. Steep, thin and rocky areas are quick to heat up and backcountry users should be aware of overhead hazard, including high altitude terrain that may be exposed to the sun at an early hour. Shallow snowpack areas are also concerning in regards to previously buried hard slabs and the higher likelihood of human-triggering in these types of features. Even a small avalanche can be hazardous to your health if caught in a terrain trap or pushed into trees and rocks.

Several solar triggered slides up to size 1 occurred today. A skier-triggered avalanche occurred on Tent Ridge sometime in the last couple of days. Site investigation today revealed a size 1.5 slab initiated at 2450m on a NE aspect. The avalanche was 15 to 20cm thick and ran more than 150m covering several previous ski tracks.

A slight chance of precipitation is forecast for Wednesday, but watch for an increase in natural avalanche activity associated with daytime heating and radiation anytime the sun is poking out.

Backcountry Travel Conditions: Leaving the hard-packed trails below 2000m will find you penetrating to ground in weak facets. Sun crusts are forming, melting and reforming on solar aspects. On northerly aspects in alpine and treeline areas, ski penetrations are near 10cm deep and good turns can be found if you stay away from the old tracks.

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Avalanche Terrain Exposure | Backcountry & Ice Climbing (Click to see or close back)

Important Notice:
Snowpack structure and stability information is determined from field analysis specific to snow study plot sites. Snowpack structure and stability will vary as you travel throughout mountainous terrain. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the backcountry traveller to be self-sufficient in being able to perform self-rescue should you, the traveller, be involved in an accident. Also, backcountry travellers are responsible for obtaining their own information concerning current weather conditions, snow, winds, snowfall, etc. and are responsible for educating themselves to the best possible awareness level.

For further information:

Peter Lougheed Park Visitor Centre:
403-591-6322
Barrier Information Visitor Centre:
403-673-3985
Canadian Avalanche Association:
www.avalanche.ca
Emergency 24/7:
403-591-7767 or 911
See our Avalanche Reports Archive here

ISSUED BY: jm

To report on conditions and avalanche observations, or incidents you may observe in Kananaskis Country please contact Avalanche.Safety@gov.ab.ca

 

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