Jasper

Windslabs have formed in the alpine and exposed treeline areas. Seek out soft snow and great skiing and riding conditions in sheltered areas.

Keep the deep persistent weak layer in mind, particularly in areas with a thinner snowpack.

Moderate

• Uncertainty is due to the fact that deep persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Natural windslab avalanches have been observed over the last few days up to size 2. Avalanche control operations within the park and in neighboring areas have continued to see avalanches failing on the Basal weak layer.

Winds have redistributed snow into windslabs in alpine and open treeline areas. The midpack is supportive and sits above 40-60 cm of faceted snow that makes up the lower snowpack. Basal facets and an early season melt freeze crust are located ~30cm off of the ground and remain active as a weak layer in the snowpack.

Average snow depth in the Icefields Parkway area is 140-200cm and in the Maligne area average depth is 100cm.

Friday

Mainly cloudy.

Precipitation: Nil.

Alpine temperature: High -7 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 15-30 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Flurries.

Accumulation: 10 cm.

Alpine temperature: Low -7 °C, High -3 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 15 km/h gusting to 45 km/h.

Freezing level: 1700 metres.

Periods of snow.

Accumulation: 13 cm.

Alpine temperature: Low -8 °C, High -4 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 20 km/h gusting to 70 km/h.

Freezing level: 1500 metres.

• Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.