Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–2
With lots of snow available for transport, we suspect recent windslab formation in the alpine in exposed areas.
Avalanche forecast
View on mapJasper
Mar 19 – 20, 2014Parks Canada
Archived · expired 13 years ago
Avalanche danger
Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Highlights
Avalanche problems
Persistent Slabs
NNEESESSWWNW- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible - Likely
- Size
- 1–3
The "drought layer" (Feb 10) has been sensitive in the past week, contributing to numerous large avalanches. Pay particular attention to moraines at treeline and crossloaded features in the alpine.
Storm Slabs
NNEESESSWWNW- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–3
35cm of recent snow is settling rapidly. Although this snow appears to be bonding well, caution is warranted in steep terrain. It is a good idea to test the storm snow interface prior to committing to your line.
Weather Forecast
Snowfall starting Wednesday night, continuing through the weekend, reaching 25cm in both the Maligne Lake area and Columbia Icefields area by Sunday night. Winds to remain relatively light but shifting in direction. Temps cool with good overnight recovery and freezing levels remaining below 1000m.
Snowpack Summary
30cm settled storm snow over a variety of surfaces. Drought layer (Feb 10) down 50-80cm. Lots of snow available for transport, and some moderate ridge top transport observed today.
Avalanche Summary
Field patrols in the past few days observed the debris from numerous large avalanches. These avalanches exhibited wide propagation, were primarily found in big East facing alpine terrain, and several were triggered by cornice fall. As the wind begins to push the recent snow around, the likelihood of triggering new slabs will increase.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations