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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 29th, 2020–Nov 30th, 2020

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.
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

Jasper.

Extreme winds have scoured the alpine to rock on windward slopes. The best snow for skiing can be found in sheltered locations at tree line and below.

Weather Forecast

Parker Ridge Area:

Monday: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine temperature: High -6 °C. Ridge wind southwest: 20 km/h gusting to 45 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Tuesday: Sunny with cloudy periods. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: Low -15 °C, High 2 °C. Ridge wind west: 10-20 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Snowpack Summary

On going extreme SW winds are stripping snow from windward slopes in the alpine and sending it to Saskatchewan. Soft snow can still be found in specific sheltered locations at tree line and below.  Snow depth at the Bald Hills at tree line is around 80cm with the Nov 4 crust down 50cm and breaking down. The snowpack is supportive to skis.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed on Sunday in the Bald Hills Zone. On Saturday explosive control at Parkers slabs resulted in two size 2.5 avalanches from the wind loaded storm snow. A few other thin slabs were noted in steep alpine terrain.

Confidence

Freezing levels are uncertain on Wednesday

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.

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.