Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Mar 18 – 19, 2014Parks Canada
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Archived · expired 13 years ago

Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Careful snowpack evaluation and cautious route finding is essential right now.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–3
    With lots of new snow available for transport, new windslabs will be forming in exposed areas as the winds increase in the next couple of days.

  • 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 crossloaded features in the alpine.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–3
    35cm of recent snow is settling rapidly. Although this snow appears to be bonding well, caution is warranted in steep terrain. It is a good idea to test the storm snow interface prior to committing to your line.

Weather Forecast

Temps to remain cool, freezing levels well below treeline, and winds light to moderate from the Southwest.  Light snowfall expected to begin on  Wednesday, intensifying towards the weekend.  The Columbia Icefields area will receive an additional 25cm by Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

The Columbia Icefields received 35cm of low density snow over the weekend. Prior to that the alpine was found to be scoured old snow or hard windslabs. Lots of snow available for transport, and some moderate ridge top transport observed today.

Avalanche Summary

Field 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.  As the wind begins to push the recent snow around, the likelihood of triggering new slabs will increase.

Confidence

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain

Regions covered