Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Jasper National Park
A bit of new snow has given the wind something to push around resulting in the first first real avalanche activity in the region for several weeks. Be on your game for the weekend: watch for increasing west winds and rising temperatures.
Avalanche Problem 1: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Carefully evaluate big terrain features by digging and testing on adjacent, safe slopes.
- Avoid shallow snowpack areas where triggering is more likely.
Avalanche Problem 2: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
The new snow has already formed thin, spotty slabs even with the limited amount of wind we have seen so far. These slabs sit on freshly buried, weak facets and surface hoar in some areas. Watch for these slabs to develop with more wind Saturday.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for surface cracking and stiffer surface layers of snow.
Avalanche Problem 3: Loose Dry
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
New snow covers a facetted/weak upper snowpack in sheltered areas. Be cautious in very steep terrain and in confined features where a small sluff could build mass. Even light winds were triggering these events along alpine ridges Thursday.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- The shallow, weakening snowpack makes for difficult trail breaking at low elevations.
- Use caution above ledges and cliffs where small avalanches may have severe consequences.
Avalanche Summary
Numerous sz 1 loose dry sluffs were seen spilling off of alpine ridges. A sz 2 slab avalanche 20cm deep and 50m wide likely failed on the Dec 18 persistent layer. This shallow slab ran a few meters before stepping down another 40 cm (likely through weak facets to the November 27 midpack crust). This ran 70m to a cliff triggering a small slab below.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15cm of recent snow has blown into thin windslabs TL and above. Old slabs 10-20cm deeper sit on a weak layer of facets or surface hoar TL and above. In sheltered areas this new snow sits a faceted upper snowpack at all elevations. A strong mid snowpack crust is providing strength but weakening. The lower snowpack continues to lose strength.
Weather Forecast
A ridge will reach the coast Friday and bring warmer, moist air to the region through the weekend. Watch for light west winds Friday to bring clouds but rising temperatures reaching a high of -10C in the Alpine. Temperatures will reach -6C on Saturday with a chance of a few flurries however watch for West winds to increase to 20-30km/h.
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New snow covers pockets of old windslab sitting on weak, faceted snow that lacks strength, and may fail, to midpack depths. Treat all wind exposed areas with care but approach larger, uniform features and thin areas should be treated with caution.