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 Scale | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | | Alpine | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | | Treeline | Low | Low | Low | | Below Treeline | Low | Low | Low |
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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In case you ever need to be rescued someday...click here for important
information:
Accidents happen—sometimes when you least expect
it. A twisted ankle, an unexpected illness, or getting caught
out in severe weather, and can’t make it out of the
backcountry. This is when you need help.
Calling for help:
In any emergency, call the Kananaskis Country Emergency
Services Centre for help. Dial 911 from a pay or cell phone—but
remember that cell phone coverage can be limited in many
locations in Kananaskis.
Tell the dispatcher that it’s an emergency in Kananaskis
Country. The dispatcher will then transfer you to the Kananaskis
Country Emergency Services Centre dispatch who will then
ask you a series of questions to get a better understanding
of your emergency. With satellite phones, dialing 911 may
transfer you to an emergency centre unfamiliar with Kananaskis,
so it’s important to call the local emergency number
of
403-591-7767. No matter how you make your call, you’ll
need to give:
• the
exact location of the emergency
• the nature of the accident and the seriousness of
any injuries
• your name and your call back number
• when the accident occurred
Once you have passed this information to the dispatcher,
a Kananaskis Country Public Safety Specialist will be notified,
and the best course of action will be determined.
On occasion, a helicopter may be used for a backcountry
rescue. The rescue staff in the helicopter are not able
to communicate with persons on the ground—so it’s
imperative that standard visual signals are used to reduce
confusion. Dispatchers will coach you how to make these
signals but knowing them before heading into the backcountry
is valuable.
Know before you go!
No one plans on having a bad day. Plan ahead, be prepared,
take care,
and enjoy the mountains…safely!
—the Kananaskis Country
Public Safety Team
Those on the ground with a satellite phone or with a cell phone
in range are best equipped to remain in communication with dispatch,
to reduce confusion as the helicopter approaches. We encourage
all parties who travel in the backcountry to be fully prepared
and plan to self rescue if the unexpected comes up
Winter
Survival (Click to see or close back)
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
|
| |
| 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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