Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Jasper.
Incremental new snow and variable winds building new wind slab Alpine and Treeline.
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Variable cloud. Alpine high -9 C. Wind west 15-30 km/hr. Freezing level valley bottom.
Thursday: Flurries up to 6cm. Alpine low -12 C high -7 C. Wind west 20 gust 45 km/hr. Freezing level valley bottom.
Friday: Scattered flurries up to 5cm. Alpine low -8 C high -6 C. Freezing level 1600m.
Snowpack Summary
Trace to 15cm new snow across the bulletin region accompanied by moderate NW and now SW winds building slab immediate lees in the alpine and exposed tree line. New snow burying weak temperature crust up to 1900m and solar crust on solar aspects up to 2800m. Dec Facets down 20-70cm. Basal faceting & depth hoar widespread throughout area.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity observed or reported from road patrol or field team in Fryatt Valley Monday or Tuesday. New wind slab on buried temperature/solar crust is main concern.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
New snow and variable winds building new slab on old hard wind slab, temperature and solar crusts. Sensitivity and consequence of this new slab increasing with incremental loading.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2
Persistent Slabs
Persistent slabs sit over different weak layers depending on elevation & aspect. Above 1950m a buried facet layer down 20-40cm is the primary concern. Below 1950m, a faceting crust down 40-70 is presenting a more stubborn version of a similar problem
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas where triggering is more likely.
- Dig down to find and test weak layers before committing to a line.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 3