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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 1st, 2024–Mar 2nd, 2024

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

Regions

Glacier.

Don't let the faceshots blind you into making poor decision! Skier/rider triggering of the persistent weak layer remains likely.

Stick to conservative terrain, and be aware of who is above and below you.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a group triggered a size 3 in the Camp West area, failing on the Feb 3rd persistent weak layer. We continue to see daily reports in the region of other human triggered avalanches on this layer - many failing in small forest openings.

Avalanche control just West of the park Friday produced numerous large avalanches, including a size 4 on the Feb 3rd crust, 1.5m deep x 800m wide.

Avalanche control on Wednesday night produced widespread results, in the size 2-3.5 range.

Snowpack Summary

Storm snow totals in the past week have reached up to 120 cm. Moderate to strong southerly winds have loaded lee features.

Below the storm snow, a layer of facetted crystals sits on the Feb 3rd crust, and will be the main failure plane of concern in the coming days. This layer is now buried deeply, and it's reactivity will vary from one slope to the next. A lack of obvious signs of instability on the approach does not mean it is a good idea to step out to ski in avalanche terrain.

Weather Summary

Unsettled weather persists in to the weekend, with dropping temps, light winds and and convective flurries forecast.

Tonight: Isolated flurries. Light SW ridgetop winds. Alpine low -11°C.

Saturday: Scattered flurries (5cm). Light SE ridgetop winds. Alpine High -10°C.

Sun: Scattered flurries (5cm). Light SW wind. Low -14 °C, High -12 °C.

Mon: Isolated flurries. Light SW wind. Low -16 °C, High -12 °C.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low-angle, well-supported terrain with no overhead hazard.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, avoid terrain where triggering slopes from below is possible

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.

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.