Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Jasper, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.
If you like gentle alpine walks in the sunshine with no wind then Jasper is the place for you! Just be mindful of the lurking persistent and deep persistent problems.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been observed
Snowpack Summary
In sheltered areas 15 - 25cm of snow overlies the Feb 3rd crust, which ranges from 1-3cm thick in the alpine. On shaded aspects it exists up to 2500m and is breaking down due to the cold temperatures. On solar aspects it is up to 2800m. At lower elevations it is 15-20cm thick. The Persistent and Deep Persistent weak layers continue to produce whoomphing and sudden fractures in tests.
Weather Summary
Friday
Sunny with cloudy periods.
Precipitation: Nil.
Alpine temperature: High -5 °C.
Light ridge wind.
Freezing level: 1600 metres.
Saturday
Sunny with cloudy periods.
Precipitation: Nil.
Alpine temperature: Low -5 °C, High -2 °C.
Light ridge wind.
Freezing level: 2000 metres.
The Mountain Weather Forecast is available at Avalanche Canada https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rock outcroppings and steep convex terrain where triggering is most likely.
- Minimize exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of runout zones.
- Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
This weak layer, buried 20-40cm deep, is still reactive in snowpit tests and human triggering remains possible, particularly in shallow rocky start zones.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5
Deep Persistent Slabs
The base of the snowpack is inherently weak and untrustworthy. Human and natural triggering of these basal facets remains possible.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 3