Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Mar 20 – 21, 2014Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

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

The new snow will be enticing however forecasters have little confidence in this snowpack.  Cautious route finding and conservative decision making are essential.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2
    Windslabs are forming in wind prone areas below lee ridgelines at treeline and above.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–3
    The "drought layer" (Feb 10) has been sensitive in the past week, contributing to numerous large avalanches. Pay particular attention to moraines at treeline and cross-loaded features in the alpine.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    Another 15 cm of new snow fell on top of this past weekend's 35cm storm. Although this snow appears to be bonding well, caution is warranted in steep terrain. Test the storm snow interface prior to committing to your line.

Weather Forecast

Flurries will continue into the weekend.  Winds are expected to remain light and temperatures will be anything but spring like with lows dipping to -20 and only recovering to -5 during the day.

Snowpack Summary

5 to 15 cm of new snow fell on top of the 30 cm of settled storm snow we received last weekend. This snow has buried various surfaces including windslab. The Feb. 10th drought layer is now almost a meter deep in the snowpack.  Basal facets are still lurking at the base of this snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

No new observations today in the Marmot area. Patrols in the past few days observed the debris from numerous large avalanches. These avalanches exhibited wide propagation, were primarily found in big East facing alpine terrain, and several were triggered by cornice fall.

Confidence

Due to the number and quality of field observations on Friday

Regions covered