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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 7th, 2020–Feb 8th, 2020

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

Regions

Jasper.

Be cautious and assess each slope. The Icefields zone received 60cm of snow in a very short period on Jan 31. 

All signs are pointing toward an improving hazard but most slopes are untested.

Weather Forecast

Saturday will be a mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, 6cm of snow, -10 °C, and North winds 10-30 km/h. Sunday will be similar to Saturday with less snowfall.

See Weather synopsis here: Avalanche Canada Mountain Weather Forecast

Snowpack Summary

Up to 50 cm of snow fell Jan 31st to Feb 1st in the forecast region. SW winds are creating windslabs with the new snow. The mid-pack bridging over deeper instabilities is supporting the new load over the basal facets and depth hoar. This new load and bridging has not been field tested thus treat the snowpack with caution.

Avalanche Summary

No field patrol on Friday and nothing new reported. Thursday's field patrol noted limited activity except for a couple of size 2.5-3 windslab avalanches on NE aspects from steep, rocky features on Mt. Athabasca and Cromwell in the Icefields zone.

Confidence

The weather pattern is stable

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.

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.