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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 12th, 2021–Feb 13th, 2021

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

Increased wind on Saturday will keep the alpine hazard slightly elevated. Overall  the avalanche hazard is decreasing but we still get occasional reports of larger slabs so there is a bit more uncertainty around the hazard level right now.

Weather Forecast

Temperatures will rise slightly again on Saturday with highs at treeline of between -12 to -16 C. Skies will remain clear and sunny. Alpine winds will increase to the Moderate to Strong range out of the NE on Saturday afternoon which will still make it feel very cold in exposed areas so watch for frostbite!

Snowpack Summary

Previous winds from all directions have created wind slabs in lee areas of the alpine, and wind effect in many open alpine and treeline areas. In sheltered areas the surface snow is facetting quickly and beginning to sluff more easily in steep terrain. A buried thin sun crust and facet layer from Jan 27th is present on steep south aspects.

Avalanche Summary

Following an increase in winds Thursday night several natural small thin wind slabs, and small loose dry avalanches, were observed on Friday. Several cornice failures have been observed in the alpine over the past week occasionally triggering slabs on steep slopes below them.

Confidence

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.