Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 1–3
The Feb 10th layer continues to be reactive in many areas especially at tree line. Avoid any steep terrain until this has a chance to bond.
Avalanche forecast
View on mapBanff Yoho Kootenay
Mar 10, 2014Parks Canada
Archived · expired 13 years ago
Avalanche danger
Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
Highlights
The natural cycle is slowing down but skier triggering of avalanches remains likely. Choose moderate terrain with minimal exposure to large paths, and watch for the effects of daytime heating as we move into more spring like weather. CJ
Avalanche problems
Storm Slabs
NNEESESSWWNW- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible - Likely
- Size
- 1–3
The recent storm snow and wind slabs will slowly begin to bond to the lower layers in the snowpack but this will take some time. Choose conservative terrain with no overhead hazard until this has a chance to bond.
Deep Persistent Slabs
NNEESESSWWNW- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Unlikely - Possible
- Size
- 2–3
With the cooling temperatures this will become less reactive to skier traffic. Large triggers such as cornice drops or large slab releases could still cause failures on the basal facets.
Weather Forecast
Alpine temperatures between -10'C and -3'C are forecast for the next several days, with a mix of sun and cloud, occasional light flurries, and light to moderate winds out of the West.
Snowpack Summary
85-100cm of storm snow has fallen in the Sunshine, Kootenay and Yoho areas, with 40-60cm around Lake Louise and Bow Summit since Mar 2nd. This storm snow has overloaded the Feb 10th layer of facets, surface hoar and sun crust, causing avalanches with wide propagations. Moderate SW winds have also created wind slabs in open areas above tree line.
Avalanche Summary
A widespread natural avalanche cycle to size 3 occurred on all elevations and aspects today. Much of this is occurring on the Feb 10th layer however we also observed storm slab releases and some deep releases to ground. The cooler temperatures over the next several days will slow down the natural cycle, but skier triggering will remain a concern.