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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 2nd, 2024–Feb 3rd, 2024

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

While temperatures are cooling off and stability should improve, we have somewhat limited observations. A wait and see approach is a good idea.

Travel conditions are challenging and early season hazards are back in many places!

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Sunshine ski hill produced avalanches on the persistent slab problem, on northerly aspects of the alpine to size 1 durring contorl work today.

Out side of the control, no new natural activity was reported.

Snowpack Summary

Warm temperatures and rain over the past week created moist surface snow up to 2500 m, which will continue to freeze overnight Friday and result in a melt-freeze crust forming on the snow surface. The impact of this warming on the snowpack layering has yet to be evaluated, but expect the snowpack to strengthen in most areas as it refreezes. High and northerly aspects may still hold some dry snow and below treeline is below threshold for avalanches in many places.

Weather Summary

Saturday should mark the beginning of freezing levels returning to near valley bottom, with Sunday cooler yet. Saturday afternoon could see the arrival of the next storm, coming in from the east. Areas east of the divide could see 5-15 cm of snow and areas to the west 5-10 cm. Winds will pick up to strong and switch from the S/W flow to a N/E direction.

For more mountain weather click HERE

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • The likelihood of deep persistent slab avalanches will increase with each day of warm weather.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

Problems

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.