Avalanche forecast

Banff Yoho Kootenay

Apr 23 – 24, 2014Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 12 years ago

Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Pay attention to how strong the overnight freeze is and how quickly it warms during the day. Start early and finish before it warms up.  Cornice failures continue to occur, be mindful of overhead hazard.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Isolated windslabs  20-40 cm thick were found in the lees of features in the Bow Summit & Lake Louise region.  They rest on an old temperature crust.  Propagations up to 20 m observed.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2
    Loose wet avalanches are possible in the afternoon as a result of day time heating.  Monitor how thick the crusts are and how quickly they break down during the day.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3
    Although unlikely, it is still possible to trigger a slab avalanche on one of the deep persistent layers.  Skier triggering of this layer is more likely in shallow snowpack areas.

Confidence

Weather Forecast

Freezing levels to valley bottom tonight and some clear skies will help the overnight freeze.  Cloudy skies forecasted tomorrow with mid mountain highs around -2 along the Divide.  Periods of sun can be expected along the eastern part of the region.

Snowpack Summary

Cooler day today. Windslabs developing in the alpine 20-40 cm thick sitting on a crust. Freezing levels to valley bottom tonight with periods of clear skies. Moist snow in afternoon on solar aspects up to ridgetops and to 2400 m on polar aspects.  Random patches of isothermal wallowing in thinner snowpack areas below treeline.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed in patrols today down to Field and up to Bow Summit. Monday was warmer with more sun and we saw a loose snow avalanche cycle up to Class 2 running out of steep rocky terrain through most of the region. Debris generally ran to top of runouts. No slab avalanches observed.

Regions covered