Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Jasper.
Be cautious and assess each slope. The Icefields zone received 60cm of snow in a very short period on Jan 31.
All signs are pointing toward an improving hazard but most slopes are untested.
Weather Forecast
Saturday will be a mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, 6cm of snow, -10 °C, and North winds 10-30 km/h. Sunday will be similar to Saturday with less snowfall.
See Weather synopsis here: Avalanche Canada Mountain Weather Forecast
Snowpack Summary
Up to 50 cm of snow fell Jan 31st to Feb 1st in the forecast region. SW winds are creating windslabs with the new snow. The mid-pack bridging over deeper instabilities is supporting the new load over the basal facets and depth hoar. This new load and bridging has not been field tested thus treat the snowpack with caution.
Avalanche Summary
No field patrol on Friday and nothing new reported. Thursday's field patrol noted limited activity except for a couple of size 2.5-3 windslab avalanches on NE aspects from steep, rocky features on Mt. Athabasca and Cromwell in the Icefields zone.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
New and developing wind slabs are present in the forecast region. Their sensitivity will vary particularly with local loading and wind patterns.
- If triggered the storm/wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
- Assess start zones carefully and use safe travel techniques.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 3
Deep Persistent Slabs
Shallow snowpack zones and/or large triggers such as cornice failures could trigger this deep layer. The consequences would be severe!
- If triggered the storm slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Treeline, Below Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3