Avalanche forecast

Jasper

Dec 16 – 17, 2023Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 3 years ago

Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

A lot of wind heading our way on Saturday. Skiers should be avoiding recently wind loaded slopes despite their tempting snow coverage, as wind slabs are most reactive during and shortly after significant wind events. Ice climbers, beware of spin drifts associated with strong wind.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Strong to extreme southwesterly winds are creating fresh wind slabs on top of old slabs created by the wind event on Wednesday. Winds slabs tend to be most reactive during and just after significant wind events, extra caution is advised on northerly features in the alpine and into the tree line.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    The snow pack is very weak at the bottom. Natural activity has not been observed yet. Keep this on your radar as triggering remains possible with the shallow nature of the overall snowpack. This problem is of most concern in wind loaded alpine and tree line features, specifically below ridge tops.

Confidence

Moderate

Weather Summary

The Mountain Weather Forecast is available at Avalanche Canada https://avalanche.ca/weather/forecast

Saturday

Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries. Precipitation: Trace. Alpine temperature: High -5 °C. Ridge wind west: 15 km/h gusting to 45 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid areas where the snow feels stiff and/or slabby.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.

Regions covered