The 10-15cm of new snow will improve the skiing. Be vigilant for newly formed windslabs. The frigid temperatures will remain for this week.
Recent 10-20cm of new snow and winds formed windslabs in lee features particularly at ridgetops. They appear to be stubborn to trigger.
A variety of crusts with facets above and below exist at the bottom of the snowpack. These layers are going to be with us for a long time and pose a low probability, high consequence situation if triggered.
There was no patrol on Sunday and nothing new was reported. Saturday's Maligne and Icefield patrols' noted very little new activity. One loose dry size 1.5 observed on Saskatchewan North avalanche path. On Thursday, Marmot Basin triggered a size 2 avalanche failing on the deep basal layer using explosives. Several natural wind slab avalanches to size 2 as well as smaller loose dry avalanches were observed in the Icefields area on January 29th.
10-15cm of fresh soft snow is on a variety of surfaces depending on location, including melt freeze crusts, sun crusts, hard wind slabs, and soft faceted snow. These overlie a generally weak and faceted mid-pack. At the bottom of the snowpack are the early season crusts, which are faceting and surrounded by large depth hoar. The snowpack is 70-130 cm in depth at tree line, and thins quickly below.
Sunday night will be clear and -27 °C. Monday to Thursday is forecasted to be mainly sunny, some clouds, no new snow, light winds, and -14 to -33 °C.
