Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 27th, 2025 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Persistent Slabs, Deep Persistent Slabs and Loose Wet.
Parks Canada,
Avalanche Canada
Conditions are tricky right now. There has been a lot of wind, a persistent weak layer and now the sun is forecast to come out with warm afternoon temperatures.
Stick to low angle terrain on shaded aspects and look for areas without wind effect to find the best quality snow with the lowest avalanche risk.
Summary
Confidence
Low
Avalanche Summary
On Thursday, helicopter avalanche control on Mt. Field, Stephen, and Dennis produced slab avalanches up to size 3. Any spot that looked like it could avalanche, did. Many avalanches triggered slabs from the side walls of the path.
On Wednesday, a skier triggered a size 1.5 avalanche in Lipalian 3, just outside the Lake Louise ski area boundary. One skier was carried 60 m but remained on the surface, uninjured. Sunshine patrol triggered a size 2 deep slab with explosives.
Snowpack Summary
10 - 30cm of snow from last weekend has been blown by winds in alpine and treeline areas. This snow sits over a layer of weak facets, surface hoar or sun crust from the prolonged cold, dry period in February.
The mid-pack is generally facets, while depth hoar and crusts form an even weaker base. The snowpack is the weakest in eastern areas where snow depths are low. In these areas, the basal weaknesses should be carefully considered.
Weather Summary
Warm, spring-like weather is here for the next few days. Expect sunny skies with good freezes in the morning and freezing levels rising to ~ 2300m in the afternoon. Ridgetop winds will be light to moderate from the west throughout the period. No precipitation is forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and slopes above cliffs.
- Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
- Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Problems
Persistent Slabs
10-30 cm of storm snow and strong to extreme S-SW winds have loaded lee areas at treeline and above with slabs up to 60 cm deep. The slab sits on a weak layer of facets, surface hoar or sun crust. Human triggering will remain likely in steep or wind loaded terrain for the next few days.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Deep Persistent Slabs
The recent storm has added load to an already shallow and weak snowpack. With this additional weight and warmer temperatures, there may be a reawakening of this problem in isolated areas. Areas of concern include thin, shallow, and rocky slopes.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Loose Wet
Clear skies and warm temperatures over the next few days may trigger a loose wet avalanche cycle in steep solar terrain. Smaller loose wet avalanches could trigger the persistent layers resulting in bigger slides. The amount of reactivity on this layer will depend on how sunny it is.
Aspects: South, South West, West.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Feb 28th, 2025 4:00PM
