Little Yoho

Despite the low avalanche danger, there is still a buried layer to monitor:

The Jan 3 surface hoar is spotty in distribution and buried 50-70 cm deep. It produces hard, sudden planar test results, but no avalanches have been observed, and it has been removed as a persistent problem.

High

• We are confident due to a stable weather pattern.

No new avalanches observed or reported in this region on Thursday.

However, on Tuesday in the neighboring region to the east, there was a skiier triggered size 2 in a steep, cross-loaded and thin snowpack alpine slope in the Lake Louise Ski Hill Backcountry.

Surface hoar growth and faceting are widespread. Constant moderate to strong winds have blasted the alpine snow surfaces. The surface facetting is helping to a degree by creating soft snow in some areas.

Deeper in the snowpack, the spotty Jan 3 layer of surface hoar, down 50-70 cm, is still producing moderate - hard, sudden planar test results suggesting it may be triggered on isolated steep treeline features, but no recent avalanches have been reported.

A ridge of high pressure remains with not much change for the forecast period. Expect cold temperatures (-15 to -25), mostly clear skis and light NW winds increasing to strong on Saturday. There is hope for a bit of snow and warmer temperatures starting late next week!