Good coverage and excellent access to the alpine. Wind slabs are a daily occurrence. Even small wind slabs can push you into (or off of!) terrain traps where consequences are immediate and unforgiving. Loose wet avalanches are still active with daytime warming.
Lingering wind slabs remain at upper elevations. Heads up on exposed alpine features. The risk is getting taken for a ride in no fall terrain.
High freezing levels and lots of solar radiation will result in loose wet avalanches out of steeper terrain. A loose wet cycle was active up to size 2 on the Barbette Glacier on Monday.
Forecasters near the Barbette Glacier observed a natural loose wet cycle to size 2 on solar aspects, occurring midday. Wind slabs were also present on alpine lee features on polar aspects. Sunshine patrol reported several size 1 loose wet avalanches and a size 2 wind slab in the backcountry. Lake Louise patrol observed small loose wet avalanches on steep solar terrain.
North aspects hold dry wind-affected snow. On solar aspects, a crust exist up to ridgetop. With continued daytime heating over the next few days, solar aspects and lower-elevation snowpack will weaken and break down. The lower snowpack is generally well settled.
Models suggest another clear morning. A weak system arrives late Tuesday into Wednesday, bringing light alpine snow and possible valley rain. Alpine temps near zero with a chance of poor overnight recovery. Winds remain moderate to strong from the SW.
