Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 10th, 2024–Mar 11th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

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.

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.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.