Backcountry Avalanche Report

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
Alpine	Moderate
Treeline	Moderate
Below Treeline	Low

Discussion:

Not much change in conditions on Wednesday other than it was windy again and temperatures are starting to climb as the warm air moves in from the west.  Temperatures will be on the rise over the next 24 hours with daytime highs on Thursday expected to reach into the low single digits.  There may be some temperature related instabilities occurring on solar exposed slopes over the next 24 hours but much of that will depend upon the amount of cloud cover that rolls in with the warming trend.  The mix of hard and soft slabs found along ridges and in crossloaded terrain features at and above treeline are still the areas of greatest concern.  Avoid exposure to these slabs where they may be the weakest – on steeper slopes along the edges and wherever rocks are poking up indicating possible weak spots. Still no new snow in the foreseeable future and without a signifigant change in weather, there will be no change in Avalanche Danger either.

Backcountry Travel Conditions: Same, same – overall a supportive snowpack with some weak spots in lower elevations where the snowpack is still thin.  Best skiing is found on sheltered slopes that have seen little wind effect.

For Kananaskis Country "Backcountry Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale" (ATES) details download this letter-size one-page here (135 KB)

For Kananaskis Country "Ice Climbing Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale" (ATES) details download this letter-size one-page here (600 KB)

For Kananaskis Country "Avalanche Terrain Ratings" (ATR) details download this letter-size two-page here (170 KB)

Download the three above documents at once here (335 KB, four pages letter-size)

You'll need the Adobe®'s free Acrobat® Reader® (Download here) installed on your computer to open, view and print these reference pamphlets in PDF® format.

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.

ISSUED BY: bd

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