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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Regions
Jasper.
Warming progression over the weekend should make for pleasant travel in the Icefields. Some Ice on the Parkway is climbable. Watch for isolated pockets of windslab or loose sluffing.
Weather Forecast
Click here for the Avalanche Canada mountain weather forecast.
Snowpack Summary
Deep persistent, melt-freeze crust/facet combo remains the primary concern, with an average depth of 20 to 50cm deep at tree line. This crust (Oct. 25) is expected to linger in the snowpack for sometime. Very few options for travel on skis BTL (1900m) due to low snow cover, open creeks or hidden, early season hazards.
Avalanche Summary
This previous week the Oct 25 layer has produced some large natural avalanches (up to size 2.5) through the Rockies from as far south as Kananaskis Country, north to Yoho, the Icefields, Jasper and Marmot Basin Ski Hill. Best to presume all skiable slopes have this layer and dig to assess the strength of the bond before committing to the line.
Confidence
Problems
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.