Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Jasper, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.
Good skiing conditions can be found in areas with sufficient snow coverage, but deeper instabilities remain a concern despite a decrease in natural avalanche activity.
Consider sharing your skiing experiences with a MIN report, or even just a photo - every little helps!
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
Nearest neighbors are still observing natural Deep Persistent Slab activity this week, and several explosives-triggered Deep Persistent Slabs (up to size 2) were reported by the ski hill on Wednesday. This serves as a reminder that this problem persists, and triggering full-depth avalanches remains a possibility.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 10cm of new snow has fallen this week with generally very light winds.
The snowpack is mostly made up of facets and ranges in depth from 60 to 120 cm at treeline and above. At the bottom of the snowpack there are multiple early season crusts with facets above and below.
Weather Summary
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud.
Precipitation: Nil.
Alpine temperature: High -8 °C.
Ridge wind light to 15 km/h.
Freezing level at valley bottom.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud.
Precipitation: Nil.
Alpine temperature: Low -10 °C, High -7 °C.
Ridge wind light to 15 km/h.
Freezing level at valley bottom.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
- Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
- Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
Avalanche Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
A variety of crusts with facets above and below exist at the bottom of the snowpack. These layers are going to be with us for a long time and pose a low probability, high consequence situation if triggered.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2.5