Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 12th, 2021 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs, Cornices and Loose Dry.
Cory Boschman,
It's getting warmer, but only a little. Expect cornices and the upper snow pack to remain brittle, and susceptible to triggers for some time.
Summary
Weather Forecast
The cold will ease off a bit (high -17), with ridge top winds increasing to 30-40Km/h from the East, before returning to a more typical westerly flow and milder temperatures on Sunday
Snowpack Summary
The cold weather continues to promote facetting of the upper 40cm. The mid-pack has remained strong and supportive, but is showing signs of loosing strength with the prolonged arctic influence, especially where it is shallow.
Avalanche Summary
Thursday's field patrol to the Icefields noted numerous windslabs in the high alpine, cornice triggered, 50-90cm deep and 48-72 hours old. A widespread loose dry cycle up to size 2 occurred more recently, all elevations, steep rocky terrain, with some being triggered by the sun, but not all.
Confidence
Problems
Wind Slabs
Recent windslab activity has been noted in high elevation windloaded features. It seems to require a large trigger such as cornice failures to initiate or potentially a shallow location where a skiers weight may be enough.
- Give cornices a wide berth when travelling on or below ridges.
- Travel on ridgetops to avoid wind slabs on slopes below.
Aspects: North East, East, South East.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Cornices
Cold temperatures are making cornices brittle and prone to failure. Keep a healthy distance away both when traveling below, or near corniced features.
- Give cornices a wide berth when traveling on ridges.
- Avoid travel on slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Dry
Surface snow continues to lose cohesion and structure making specific areas susceptible to light triggers like direct solar influence, and excitable riders. Sluff awareness and management will be very important in steep and/or confined lines.
- Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could trigger slabs or larger sluffs.
- On steep slopes, pull over periodically or cut into a new line to manage sluffing.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 13th, 2021 4:00PM
