Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Jasper National Park
Good skiing can be found close to treeline on sheltered north facing terrain.
Avalanche Problem 1: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid steep convexities or areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
- Carefully evaluate terrain features by digging and testing on adjacent, safe slopes.
Avalanche Problem 2: Loose Wet
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
The snowpack is rapidly heating up and in shallow spots requires very little in the way of rain, sun or ambient heat to complete the process. Snow pillows falling onto snow of this character will trigger avalanches. Solar radiation is a trigger.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid exposure to terrain traps where the consequences of a small avalanche could be serious.
- Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
Avalanche Problem 3: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Moderate southerly winds in the alpine continue to build fresh pockets of wind slab. Once started these slabs may trigger deeper releases running surprisingly far into the valley under these cooler conditions.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use caution in lee and cross-loaded terrain near ridge crests.
- If triggered the wind slabs may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
Avalanche Summary
We received a report of large slab avalanche on Monday in the North bowl of Whistler peak. It was remotely triggered from the ridgetop and failed as a size 2.5 persistent slab (suspect Mar 15th interface), 60cm deep by 75m wide, which ran down to treeline. Some size 1 moist surface sluffing was noted on steep solar aspects on Sunday.
Snowpack Summary
In the upper snowpack a 25 to 80 cm thick slab bridges the March 15th persistent weak layer (facets on polar, sun crust on solar). Recent warming has promoted rounding in the upper snowpack, however the mid and lower snowpack remain weak and facetted from this winters prolonged cold periods. Temperature crusts exist on most slopes below treeline.
Weather Forecast
A strong westerly flow to the upper atmosphere will accompany the passage a of weak front tonight with a dusting of snow. Overnight temps will remain cool and winds will decrease. A mix of sun and cloud adding heat to the snowpack at lower elevations and solar aspects with the freezing levels not expected to breach 1,700m on Wednesday.
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Persistent slabs sitting on facets on Northerly aspects continue to show isolated signs of reactivity. On solar aspects buried solar crusts present a sliding surface up to 80cm down. Triggering may occur from shallow snowpack areas some distance out.