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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 19th, 2014–Feb 20th, 2014

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

Regions

Little Yoho.

The storm snow still needs time to settle and bond. Conservative route choices are still advised.

Weather Forecast

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries through to Friday. Alpine temperatures reaching a high of -9. Light southwest winds with moderate gusts.

Snowpack Summary

30 -70 cm of recent storm snow is settling and overrides the Feb 10th interface. A poor bond persists at this interface and many avalanches have been observed on this layer over the past week. Recent SW winds have created wind slabs in lee alpine terrain. These wind slabs are easily triggered and often step down to the Feb 10th interface.

Avalanche Summary

The natural avalanche cycle seems to have subsided, however many skier triggered wind slabs up to Class 1.5 were reported today. A size 3 natural off of Mt. Wapta was observed yesterday and explosive control work today on the Yoho Highway Paths resulted in several Class 2.5's and one Class 3 all running in the storm snow.

Confidence

Problems

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.

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.