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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 5th, 2020–Feb 6th, 2020

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Jasper.

As you head out assume that ski terrain will be wind loaded and is untested.

Weather Forecast

Trace of snow through out the day on Thursday.  Highs of -10C in the forecast area with moderate SW winds.

See Weather synopsis here: Avalanche Canada Mountain Weather Forecast

Snowpack Summary

Up to 50 cm of snow fell during last weeks storm in the forecast region. Previous mid-pack bridging over deeper instabilities is supporting the new load over the basal facets and depth hoar. This new load and bridging has still not been significantly field tested, treat the snowpack with caution.

Avalanche Summary

Poor visibility, treeline and above. Varied explosive results on the storm interface and on the persistent facet/depth hoar combos at the bottom of the snowpack. Obvious deep persistent release on Parkers Slabs produced size 2.5 - 3.0's; moving fast and leaving large impressive (~2m) crowns.

Confidence

Due to the number and quality of field observations

Problems

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.

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.