[MCR] Kananaskis. Black prince to Engadine lodge this afternoon

Subject: [MCR] Kananaskis. Black prince to Engadine lodge this afternoon
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 17:34:16 -0700
I happened to be driving between Black Prince and Mt. Engadine Lodge during a 
clear spell this afternoon and it looked “busy” to the west. Around 30-40cm in 
places along the road, -8 to -13c and blowing like hell from the west up high 
around 3:30.

Saw 4 BIG loose snow avalanches release within about 15 minutes, all out of 
steep terrain on the west side of the Spray road. One started as a large 
cornice failure. All of them would have blown an untethered ice climber way out 
into space and it would have been a world of hurt to be in the way at a belay.

Surprisingly, I saw no slab avalanche fracture lines amongst all that terrain 
in good light. However, I wouldn’t put much weight on that observation. It 
looked like it may have been calm for awhile during all the snow today as even 
windy places like Tent Ridge were fairly evenly white. However, as the K 
country bulletin says, that is likely to change with all the current and 
forecasted wind. 

The wind was howling from the North through Whiteman’s Gap and it was 
apocalyptically dark over Banff at 5pm.

Cue the organ music.

Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
laristan@xxxxxxxxx
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The 
ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in 
continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable 
nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information 
provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions 
Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml#unsubscribe to remove your name from 
this list.