Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Jan 30th, 2025 4:00PM

The alpine rating is moderate, the treeline rating is moderate, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs and Deep Persistent Slabs.

Parks Canada, Avalanche Canada

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

Moderate winds will redistribute incoming snow into fresh reactive windslabs that should be assessed before entering terrain.

Once triggered, windslabs may initiate larger deep persistent slabs.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Several natural wind slab avalanches to size 2 as well as smaller loose dry avalanches were observed in the Icefields area on January 29th.

Snowpack Summary

Incoming snow is falling on a variety of surfaces depending on location, including melt freeze crusts, sun crusts, hard wind slabs, and soft faceted snow. These overlie a generally weak and faceted mid-pack. At the bottom of the snowpack are the early season crusts, which are faceting and surrounded by large depth hoar. The snowpack is 70-130 cm in depth at tree line, and thins quickly below.

Weather Summary

Friday

Flurries. Accumulation: 8 cm. Alpine temperature: High -7 Â°C. Ridge wind southwest: 15 km/h gusting to 40 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Saturday

Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries. Accumulation: 4 cm. Alpine temperature: Low -21 Â°C, High -8 Â°C. Mostly light ridge wind occasionally gusting to 50 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Sunday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. Precipitation: Trace. Alpine temperature: Low -24 Â°C, High -18 Â°C. Ridge wind light to 15 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Snow falling with moderate southwest winds will form windslabs in lee features.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.

Likelihood

Possible - Likely

Expected Size

1 - 2.5

Deep Persistent Slabs

A variety of crusts with facets above and below exist at the bottom of the snowpack. These layers are going to be with us for a long time and pose a low probability, high consequence situation if triggered.

Aspects: All aspects.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size

1 - 3

Valid until: Jan 31st, 2025 4:00PM