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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 17th, 2021–Feb 18th, 2021

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay.

While we move to 3 x LOW danger, we remind people of residual risks such as cornices, of which several have fallen off this week, as well as sluffs, which need to be managed in Kootenay Park's steep terrain. These will gain mass in confined gullies.

Weather Forecast

One more brush with -25 for Thursday morning, then it should stay in the teens for the rest of the week. Thursday will be mostly clear with some clouds in the afternoon as another system moves in and light snow starts on Friday. Nothing significant until Sunday when models are showing a more substantial snowfall.

Snowpack Summary

Isolated, thin windslabs persist in the high alpine and continued to form on Wednesday with most alpine snow surfaces being wind effected. At treeline and below the snowpack is well settled except the surface snow which is facetted and sluffs in steep terrain. A facet and sun crust layer buried Jan 27 persists at treeline down 30-40 cm.

Avalanche Summary

No significant slab avalanche activity reported or observed over the past 4 days. Sluffing continues to happen in very steep areas, and some small windslabs triggered by ski cuts and explosives have been reported by the ski hills.

Confidence

Due to the number and quality of field observations

Problems

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.