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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 29th, 2024–Mar 2nd, 2024

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Ghost.

A Special Public Avalanche Warning is in effect for the region.

Now is a good time to avoid all avalanche terrain and go check out one of the local resorts.

Avalanche control is planned for the East End of Rundle area at 15:30pm on Friday March 1st. The road will be closed for 4hrs at this time.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Visibility was limited on Thursday but we suspect a natural avalanche cycle is ongoing.

Snowpack Summary

50-80cm of recent snow is now overlying the Feb 3rd crust complex. Storm slabs and wind slabs can be expected in this new snow which will be easy to trigger with a skiers weight. A weak layer of facetted crystals also exists above and below this crust that has been producing moderate sheers. This new snow is beginning to overload this layer and cause a natural avalanche cycle. The November basal facets are alive and well and back on our radar as the February 2 rain crust is deteriorating and not locking in the weaknesses below as it once did. Skier weight has now been able to break through the Feb 2 rain crust in some places, which means that the basal facets can now be more easily affected.

This is a good time to avoid all avalanche terrain.

Weather Summary

A heavy snowfall warning is currently in effect for the Region.

An additional 10-20cm of snow is forecast overnight with temperatures dropping and winds continuing to be moderate out of the west.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, avalanches may run surprisingly far.
  • Avoid traveling in runout zones. Avalanches have the potential to run to the valley floor.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.

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.

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.

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.