Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 20th, 2024–Mar 21st, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

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.

The new snow seems to bonding well but the deep persistent and persistent problems still exist. Use caution in terrain that hasn't already avalanched.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches were observed along the Icefields Parkway or Maligne Lake Road on Wednesday but visibility was poor.

Snowpack Summary

About 10cm of new snow fell onto a 2-5cm melt freeze crust on Wednesday. The Feb 3rd crust interface is down 35-60cm. Basal depth hoar makes up the bottom third of the snowpack. HS ranges from 50 to 150cm.

Weather Summary

Mountain Weather Forecast is available @ Avalanche Canada https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

Thursday

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: High -6 °C.

Ridge wind northeast: 10 km/h.

Friday

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: Low -15 °C, High -9 °C.

Ridge wind east: 10 km/h.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.

Problems

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.

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.

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.