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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2023–Mar 29th, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

North Rockies, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Tumbler.

The sun will be out and the freezing level is forecast to be higher than it has been in the past few days. As a result there may be an increase in wet loose avalanche activity on steep terrain facing the sun.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

There was rider triggered size 2 avalanche reported on Saturday in the Hasler area. Check out the MIN report here.

Snowpack Summary

Recent moderate winds from the northeast may redistributed recent new snow and develop small, isolated wind slabs directly lee of ridges. These new wind slabs sit over a crust on solar aspects and on high north-facing terrain possibly over facets and/or surface hoar.

The middle of the snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.

A weak layer of large facets is found near the base of the snowpack. This layer could still be a concern in very shallow snowpack areas.

 

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mainly clear. Light northeast wind. High of -8 °C at treeline. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and cloud. Light northeast wind. High of -2 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1600m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. Light to moderate northeast wind. High of 0 °C at treeline. Freezing level at 1800m.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with scattered flurries. Light southwest wind. High of -1 °C at treeline. Freezing level 1700m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.