Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Feb 9 – 10, 2020Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 7 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Be cautious and assess each slope. The Icefields zone received 60cm of snow in a very short period on Jan 31. 

Natural avalanches are unlikely but human triggering remains possible. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3

    New and developing wind slabs are present in the forecast region. Their sensitivity will vary particularly with local loading and wind patterns.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1.5–3

    Shallow snowpack zones and/or large triggers such as cornice failures could trigger this deep layer. The consequences would be severe!

Confidence

Weather Forecast

Sunday will be cloudy with isolated flurries, -10 °C and West winds 15 km/h gusting to 50 km/h. Monday will be similar to Sunday. 

See Weather synopsis here: Avalanche Canada Mountain Weather Forecast

Snowpack Summary

Up to 60 cm of snow fell Jan 31st to Feb 1st in the forecast region. SW winds are creating windslabs with the new snow. The mid-pack bridging over deeper instabilities is supporting the new load over the basal facets and depth hoar. This new load and bridging has not been field tested thus treat the snowpack with caution.

Avalanche Summary

One size 3 noted on Camp 3 West mountain on the Parkway initiated by cornice failure triggering windslab and entrained significant volume in the lower gully walls. Visibility was good and nothing else noted. Maligne patrol observed numerous size 2 WSL steep alpine terrain. Thursday's patrol noted a couple of size 2.5-3 windslabs.

Regions covered