Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Mar 10 – 11, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Natural avalanche activity may be less likely now that the winds are easing off, but the possibility of a rider triggering the persistent and deep persistent avalanche problems remains high.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Recently formed wind slabs will need some time to bond.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    This problem layer is the crust and facets created by early February's warm spell. It is down 30-80 cm in the snowpack and is a 1-10 cm thick crust or multiple crusts with a layer of weak facets above.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–3.5

    The base of the snowpack is inherently weak and untrustworthy. Tickling this deep layer would result in a high consequence avalanche. Any avalanche in the upper snowpack has the potential to step down to the base of the snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed in the last 48 hours, but visibility of the the alpine has been poor.

Snowpack Summary

Extensive wind effect from strong to extreme SW winds is present in open areas, and thin crusts have formed on solar aspects and lower elevations. A layer of faceted snow above a 1-3cm thick crust is down 35-60 cm. This persistent weak layer is consistently reactive in snowpit tests and is not going away anytime soon. Well developed basal depth hoar makes up the bottom third of the snowpack. HS ranges from 80 to 130cm.

Weather Summary

Mountain Weather Forecast is available @ Avalanche Canada https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

Parker Ridge - Monday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: High -7 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 15 km/h gusting to 40 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of run out zones.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Regions covered