Avalanche forecast

Banff Yoho Kootenay

Feb 15 – 16, 2014Parks Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
3 · Considerable
Open full map

Highlights

Avalanche control planned for tomorrow on Mt. Bourgeau and the Vermillion Crossing (KNP) slide paths. Please no recreational activities in these areas. Extremely touchy conditions in high snow fall areas: KNP, Sunshine back-country, & Yoho.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely - Very Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Winds will continue to build slabs in the lee of ridge crests and exposed areas.  These slabs rest on facets or hard surfaces and have not bonded to these layers yet.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–3
    Touchy slabs continue to build and stiffen over a combination of facets, surface hoar, and sun crust on solar aspects. Large propagations (upto 300 m) and several skier remote triggered avalanches to size 2  were observed today in KNP.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3

Weather Forecast

A break in the snow tomorrow and the wind will be moderate with strong gusts (SW).  Another system starting Saturday night through Monday will bring another 10-25 cm, more to the North end of the region.  Winds will be strong SW with gusts over 100 kph on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

Treeline storm snow amounts are 75 cm in Kootenay & Yoho, 60 cm in the Sunshine area, & 25 cm in the Louise/Hwy 93N areas. Winds,warm temps causing slab development in exposed areas,which overlies a complex layer of facets, surface hoar and sun crust on solar aspects. Below this a generally well settled midpack overlying the basal depth hoar layer.

Avalanche Summary

Another field trip to Kootenay, forecasters were able to remote trigger several size 2`s on any steep (>35 deg) unsupported terrain features. One was triggered from 300 m away. These were running 100-300m and were on average 30-40cm deep. One natural size 3 observed on a SE aspect, ran about 1000m. Still touchy around sunshine as well.

Confidence

Due to the quality of field observations

Regions covered