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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2020–Mar 9th, 2020

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Great skiing conditions with the recent snow! Watch for storm slab development in steep terrain as the new snow settles, especially in areas with a buried sun crust. Minimize exposure to cornices where possible and avoid steep thin areas.

Weather Forecast

A high pressure system will dominate the landscape on Monday with mainly sunny skies for all areas. Alpine winds will be out of the the west at 40-60 km/h. Alpine temperatures stay in the -12 to -15'C range while valley bottoms will warm to near freezing during the afternoon. Winds and temperatures will increase on Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

5-20 cm of snow Saturday night with light winds. Buried wind slabs are present in alpine lee areas. New sun crusts exist on steep solar aspects. 40-50 cm of recent snow sits over the Feb 29 crust interface on steep solar aspects. In thin snow pack areas a dense mid-pack sits over a weak, faceted base, while thick areas have a stronger base.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche control on Sunday produced limited results with a few avalanches up to size 2.5 and several areas with no results. Cornice control resulted in small storm slabs on the slopes below. Several small natural storm slabs observed in steep terrain. Two skiers triggered a reloaded deep persistent size 1.5 in Lippalian 3 at Lake Louise.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Tuesday

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.