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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 31st, 2022–Feb 1st, 2022

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

Regions

Jasper.

Snowfall amounts vary greatly throughout the park with 10cm of new snow on the Icefields & 35cm on Maligne Lake Road. Snowpack is extremely variable. Cautious evaluation is required for each new zone

Maligne Lake Road is Closed. Updates at Alberta 511

Weather Forecast

Tuesday: A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries and trace precipitation.

Alpine High -16 C.

Ridge wind NW 10-25 km/hr

Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud. No precipitation.

Alpine High -23 C

West wind 10-20 km/h.

Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries and trace precipitation.

Alpine high -13.

Wind West 15km/h

Snowpack Summary

10-15cm of storm snow sits over 10-30cm of wind slab in the alpine & at tree line. Buried surface hoar down 30cm was observed in a wind sheltered area near weeping wall today. The mid pack has two layers of concern. The dec 26 facet layer is buried 30-50cm down with a weak crust facet combo down 50-80cm below 1950m. Snowpack depth varies 50-200cm.

Avalanche Summary

The Maligne area received significantly more snow then the rest of our tenure due to localized upslope conditions. Several size 2 storm slabs were observed near medicine lake on a West aspect at tree line. These storm slabs may have failed on preserved surface hoar.

No new avalanche activity observed on the Icefields Parkway Jan 31.

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.

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.