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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 21st, 2024–Mar 22nd, 2024

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Watch for sluffing of the recent storm snow in steep terrain.

Confidence

No Rating

Avalanche Summary

Loose dry avalanches reported out of steep terrain running on the March 20 temperature crust. Sunshine reported one small slab avalanche that propagated in the new snow.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 20 storm snow at treeline (more at higher elevations) sits over the March 20 temperature crusts on all aspects to 2100 m, and to ridge tops on solar aspects. There is little wind effect in storm snow however the new snow is is sluffing easily out of steep terrain. The Feb 3rd crust layer exists down ~ 50 -100 cm and the basal facets persist in thin snowpack areas. Total snowpack depths range from 90-170 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Continued scattered flurries on Thursday night and Friday with total accumulations by end of day on Friday between 5-10 cm. Light southwesterly ridgetop winds forecasted for Friday. Freezing levels at Valley Bottom.

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Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.