Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Regions
Jasper.
With new snow and wind, assess the strength of the snowpack before committing to skiing.
Weather Forecast
A small storm in forecast to arrive Thursday morning bringing 8-10cm of snow and moderate SW winds. Daytime treeline temperatures will hover around -5C. Click here for the Avalanche Canada mountain weather forecast.
Snowpack Summary
Around 10cm of snow and moderate SW winds forecast starting Thursday morning. The Oct 25 crust is 2-4cm thick and down 60 to 80cm with facets above and below it. Hard sudden collapse failures have been observed immediately below this crust in test profiles. Early season hazards lurking beneath the shallow snowpack remain a concern.
Avalanche Summary
Dry loose snow avalanches up to size 2 were observed over the weekend from steep solar terrain in the alpine.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Thursday
Problems
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.
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.