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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2014–Apr 5th, 2014

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

Cornices have grown and are touchy - Several natural failures observed in past 2 days with snow volumes up to size 2. Keep an eye on overhead hazard. Best skiing on due North aspects. Avoid thinner snowpacks where basal facets can be triggered.

Weather Forecast

Mainly cloudy along the Continental Divide and mix of sun and cloud East of the Divide. Winds to remain moderate with strong gusts from the West.  Freezing levels to remain at valley bottom, but start to rise Monday night.  Watch for solar related avalanche activity or cornice failures, especially on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

New wind slabs 15-25 cm thick in the immediate lees. Western areas such as Emerald and Field have a deep and stable snowpack. Contrast this with the Lake Louise, Hwy 93 N, & Sunshine areas, where a there is a weaker snowpack with sudden collapse very easy compression results on the basal depth hoar. A crust exists on all but N aspects.

Avalanche Summary

Everyday for the past week, there have been avalanches, size 2-3 or large whumphs failing on the facets at the base of the snowpack. They were triggered by cornice, explosive, skier, or prolonged periods of sun. These observations were in the Lake Louise, Hwy 93N, and shallow areas in KNP. Several cornice failures to size 2 observed in past 2 days.

Confidence

Problems

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.

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.