Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Feb 28th, 2014 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Persistent Slabs.
snow safety,
Parks Canada
The likelihood of triggering the Feb 10th interface is going down but the consequences remain serious. Continue to tread cautiously in steep terrain. Very cold temperatures are forecast for the weekend so dress warmly and be prepared for any delays.
Summary
Weather Forecast
Very cold temperatures down to -30'C overnight with daytime highs of -22'C and light to moderate N winds are forecast for tomorrow. Slightly warmer temperatures are forecast for Sunday with highs of -12'C. Monday we may see some light snow and warming temperatures if the Pacific systems manage to push the arctic air aside.
Snowpack Summary
Sun crust on solar aspects with some wind affect in the alpine. 25-40cm of settled storm snow now sits on top of the Feb10th layer which is comprised of facets, surface hoar, and on solar aspects a sun crust. Recent tests range from easy to hard with a sudden collapse at this interface. Slopes with a buried sun crust appear to be the most touchy.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported or observed today. Some solar triggered slides up to size 2 occurred in the last several days along with some explosive triggered avalanches up to size 1.5. Whumphing still occuring in lower angled terrain in Kootenay and near Lake Louise over the last few days.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Problems
Persistent Slabs
The Feb 10th layer continues to produce sudden collapse test results in many areas. The cold temperatures will tighten things up a little and begin to weaken the slab over this layer but it is still a concern in many of the areas in the park.
Dig down to find and test weak layers before committing to a line.Use careful route-finding and stick to moderate slope angles with low consequences
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 1st, 2014 4:00PM
