Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Jan 16 – 17, 2023Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 4 years ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map

Highlights

Natural activity has been reduced but don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Human triggering remains possible.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Previous winds created wind slabs in lee features.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1.5–3

    The bottom of the snow pack is inherently weak with well developed Facets and Depth Hoar. Avalanches initiating in the upper snowpack are likely to step down to this layer and gain significant mass.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

There were no new avalanches observed on Sunday's Icefield's patrol and visibility was good. There was evidence of a natural cycle up to Size 3 on Friday. Better visibility on Saturday showed continued evidence of this cycle yet less activity. Some avalanches initiated with cornice failures or in a surface Wind Slab stepping down to the basal facets.

If you're out in the hills, don't forget to post to the MIN. Every bit of information helps

Snowpack Summary

5cm of new snow since Friday. There is a crust below 1800m. A layer of surface hoar and facets is down 20-40cm in sheltered areas. Large facets and depth hoar comprise the bottom portion of the snowpack. Snowpack depths vary from 50-100cm.

Weather Summary

Monday is expected to be cloudy and flurries, -7 °C, and light Southwest winds. Tuesday will be very similar. Wednesday will have more sun and -10 °C. Thursday will be a mix of sun and cloud, -5 °C, and light winds. There maybe a temperature inversion.

Detailed weather forecasts from Avalanche Canada: https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Regions covered