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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2020–Mar 9th, 2020

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

Regions

Jasper.

Good riding conditions reported in both the Icefields and Maligne areas. Remain cautious when negotiating and assessing areas with obvious wind effect.

Weather Forecast

A cold, trough will move in from the SW this evening. Convective flurries may produce an additional trace over east front ranges. A cold front will follow and drop down from the north and start to impact the northern region by Monday afternoon when a second, stronger system pushes in on Tuesday.

More detailed forecast at: Mountain weather forecast

Snowpack Summary

Moderate SW winds transporting available fetch to lee aspects forming new windslab and encouraging loose, dry releases from steep terrain through the region. The Icefields has a well bridged mid pack overlying basal facets and depth hoar. The northern region is weaker and shallow; bridging over the basal weakness is less reliable, especially BTL.

Avalanche Summary

Blue skies and unlimited views in the Park today. Numerous, older (-24/48 hrs) loose dry in the alpine, up to size 2 in both the Ice and Maligne zones. A natural, older cornice release up to sz 2 observed, entraining HST from steep lee features and isolated windslabs with no propagation.

Share your observations: Mountain Information Network

Confidence

Problems

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.

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.