Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 17th, 2023–Jan 18th, 2023

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, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

Enjoy the warm weather while it is here, but remember there could be persistent weak layers above your head or under your feet.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

There were no new avalanches observed on the icefields parkway on Tuesday.

If you're out in the hills, don't forget to post to the MIN. Every bit of information helps

Snowpack Summary

5cm of new snow around Parker Ridge. There is a weak temperature crust below 1800m. Large facets and depth hoar comprise the bottom portion of the snowpack. Snowpack depths vary from 40-100cm.

Weather Summary

Wednesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: High -7 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 15-25 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Thursday

A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: Low -17 °C, High -9 °C.

Ridge wind west: 10-20 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Detailed weather forecasts from Avalanche Canada: https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

Terrain and Travel Advice

Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.

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.