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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2024–Mar 30th, 2024

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Lake Louise, West Side 93N, Field.

The skiing is great!

New snow amounts over the past 24 hours range from 10cm to 30cm depending on the region and convective activity. Generally more new snow has fallen to the South.

With clear skies forecasted for Saturday, the sun could have an impact on the hazard.

The more sun, snow, and wind; the more the hazard will increase.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Friday Lake Louise reported several skier-controlled and explosive size 1 dry loose and storm slab avalanches on the March 20th crust.

East of the Divide, within the last week, there have been several size 2-3 avalanches that have all been remotely or accidentally triggered by skiers. All occurred on northerly aspects in thin sub-alpine snowpack areas with no overlying March 20 crust.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30cm of storm snow (depending on region and convective activity) covers sun crusts on solar aspects and up to 40 cm of dry snow on shaded slopes. Below this, the March 20th crust exists everywhere except north aspects above 1800m.

Our main concern is shallow snowpack areas on northerly Alpine aspects where there is no March 20 crust. Here the Feb 3 facet / crust layer and the basal facets / depth hoar remain possible to trigger

Deeper snowpack areas have fewer concerns

Weather Summary

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, trace precip, light winds from the NW with a Low of -12°C

Saturday: Mix of sun and cloud, freezing level rising to 1600m, light winds from the West.

Saturday night and Sunday: Wind picking up to moderate from the West, freezing level rising to 1800m. Mix of sun and cloud.

Click here for more weather info.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.