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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 6th, 2024–Feb 7th, 2024

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

10-20cm of recent snow which overlies a generally supportive crust has improved ski quality.

Recent winds from the south may have formed isolated wind slabs at ridge top on North facing features, more likely in Southern areas of the region.

Although the hazard is generally Low, there is still a chance of triggering deeper layers.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanches were observed from a field trip to Lake O'Hara.

Both Sunshine and Lake Louise reported some results from ski cutting in alpine terrain up to size 1.5 from old wind slabs and reloaded bed surfaces. No new natural avalanches were observed.

Snowpack Summary

10-20cm of recent storm snow sits on a recently formed crust, which is widespread at all elevations, except for north aspects above 2500 m. The cooling temperatures have improved the stability of the mid-pack, but the January persistent facet layers down 20-50 cm, and deep persistent facet and depth hoar layers at the base of the snowpack, are still present at treeline and above.

Weather Summary

Scattered flurries continue as southwest ridgetop winds weaken to light through the night Tues.

Wed: Widespread flurries develop for the region. Trace accumulations across the range. Light ridgetop winds switch from southwesterly to southeasterly. Freezing levels will be at the valley bottom.

Thurs: Scattered flurries and ridgetop winds will be light from the SE for the region.

For more mountain wx click HERE

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.

Problems

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.