Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 23rd, 2024–Mar 24th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Skier triggered avalanches are still possible in the alpine and open areas near the tree line. Thick-to-thin trigger points and areas where the mid-March crust is not supportive to boots or skis are suspect.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small solar triggered sluffs reported by Marmot Basin on Friday.Icefields Parkway patrol on Thursday saw no new natural avalanche activity.

Monday

Small solar triggered sluffs reported by Marmot Basin on Friday.Icefields Parkway patrol on Thursday saw no new natural avalanche activity.

Snowpack Summary

About 10cm of soft snow on top of 2-10cm melt freeze crust on Wednesday. The Feb 3rd crust interface is down 35-60cm. Basal depth hoar makes up the bottom third of the snowpack. HS ranges from 50 to 150cm.

Monday

About 10cm of soft snow on top of 2-10cm melt freeze crust on Wednesday. The Feb 3rd crust interface is down 35-60cm. Basal depth hoar makes up the bottom third of the snowpack. HS ranges from 50 to 150cm.

Tuesday

About 10cm of soft snow on top of 2-10cm melt freeze crust on Wednesday. The Feb 3rd crust interface is down 35-60cm. Basal depth hoar makes up the bottom third of the snowpack. HS ranges from 50 to 150cm.

Weather Summary

Mountain Weather Forecast is available @ Avalanche Canada https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

SundayA mix of sun and cloud. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: Low -17 °C, High -5 °C. Light ridge wind. Freezing level at valley bottom.

MondayA mix of sun and cloud. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: Low -10 °C, High -5 °C. Ridge wind west: 10 km/h. Freezing level: 1600 metres.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.
Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.