Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 24th, 2020–Feb 25th, 2020

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

Enjoy the great skiing in sheltered areas but use caution in steep wind loaded areas, and make careful route choices in areas with a thin snowpack where the basal weaknesses are more prominent.

Weather Forecast

Tuesday will be a mix of sun and cloud with a few light flurries beginning in the evening. Alpine temperatures start to rise with highs around -10'C. Moderate W and NW winds are expected at ridge tops through the day with a slight increase in wind speed in the afternoon.

Snowpack Summary

10-20 cm of recent storm snow covers previously formed wind slabs in lee areas, and buried sun crusts on steep solar aspects. The Feb 1 rain crust is down 20-50 cm and present below 1900 m. In thin snow pack areas a dense mid-pack sits over a weak, faceted base. Thick snowpack areas have a denser base with few weaknesses.

Avalanche Summary

A few small explosive and ski cutting triggered wind slabs in the alpine up to size 2 have been reported by the local ski areas in the last couple days. No new natural activity observed in the last 48 hrs. Some sluffing of the new snow in steep terrain near ridge crests and in steep gullies.

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.