Ice Fields Parkway

Avalanche

mark.herbison · Dec 14, 2016 · Icefields

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Quick report

Weather
cold, windy
Ride Type
openTrees, denseTrees
Riding Quality
ok
Snow Conditions
powder, windAffected

Weather

Avg Temp
-28
Max Temp
-25
Min Temp
-32
Wind Speed
windSpeedModerate
Blowing Snow
moderate
Sky Condition
clear
Wind Direction
NW
New Snow24 Hours
0
Storm Start Date
2016-12-10T19:00:00.000Z
Storm Snow Amount
5
Temperature Trend
steady
Precipitation Type
none

Consistent moderate to strong N-NW ridge top winds transporting available snow, reverse loading compared to the traditional SW flow.

Snowpack

Depth
80
Obs Type
point
Site Aspect
N, NE
Site Elevation
2500
Ski Penetration
20
Foot Penetration
35
Site Elevation Band
tln, alp
Surface Conditions
surfaceHoar, facets

Surface Hoar growth up to 6mm. Facetted snow pack. Upper 20cm unconsolidated, Nov 12 crust down 40cm with large faceted crystals above and below. Bottom of the back is well bonded but faceting.

Avalanche

Run Length
300
Slab Width
75
Trigger Type
natural
Wind Exposure
crossLoadedSlope
Avalanche Size
2
Slab Thickness
40
Start Zone Aspect
W, SW, NW
Vegetation Cover
openSlope
Avalanche Character
persistentSlab, looseDry
Crust Near Weak Layer
1
Number Of Avalanches
2-5
Start Zone Elevation
2700
Runout Zone Elevation
2300
Weak Layer Burial Date
2016-11-12T19:00:00.000Z
Avalanche Observation
moreThan48hrsAgo
Weak Layer Crystal Type
facets
Start Zone Elevation Band
alp
Avalanche Occurrence Datetime
2016-12-12T11:00:00

Several loose dry point releases from steep rocky terrain triggering a slab below.