Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Regions
Jasper.
The forecast new snow has not arrived, but ongoing strong winds have likely loaded lee terrain enough to increase the avalanche danger.
Weather Forecast
The upper level flow switches from SW to Westerly through out the day Wednesday. SW winds persist, but only in the light-moderate range. Alpine temperatures will drop from a daytime high of -4C to -12C as the skies clear into the evening.Click here for the Avalanche Canada mountain weather forecast.
Snowpack Summary
Strong SW wind and warm temps promoting fresh windslab development. The October 25 crust, sitting 0-40cm off the ground, remains a concern. This crust is most prevalent in deeper snowpack areas - found predominately on N-NE lee features. Faceting above and below this layer continues to weaken the lower snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
No recent activity has been reported, no field teams have been out since the weekend. The local ski hill triggered two windslabs (one large/size 2) during explosive control work on Sunday.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
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.