Expect the hazard to rise through the weekend as a reasonably vigorous weather system brings snow...
As elevated winds continue, expect further slab development at upper elevations Saturday and perhaps more of concern at lower elevations into Sunday.
Expect to find small wind slabs in high alpine lee terrain. These slabs generally overlie faceted snow and/ or a crust. As strong west and southwest winds continue through the weekend, expect incoming snow amounts of 15-35cm and mild temperatures to contribute to slab development.
Visitor Safety team members skied around Little Crowfoot today finding lots of wind and wind effect with wind loading predictably found in the lee terrain. Good skiing on both south and north aspects with no avalanches to report.
Lake Louise and Visitor Safety staff traveled parts of the Pumpkin Traverse Thursday and reported ongoing wind transport, wind effect and triggered 2 size 1 slabs 10-20 cm deep on a crust in W facing alpine terrain.
About 10cm of snow has come in over the last three days. Sun crusts and moist snow have been found on steep solar slopes while isolated wind slabs can be found in the high alpine. All of this sits over 10-25 cm of facetted snow on the Feb 3 crust that exists on all but N aspects above 2500m. Below this, and mainly in shallower snowpack areas, weak facet layers can be found in the mid and lower snowpack. Thin snowpack values overall this year in this sub region with around 130 cm at 2000m.
A cold front swept south across the region Friday afternoon: light snow is expected overnight (5+ cm) with strong SW winds and TL lows near -5C.
Winds shift west Saturday morning. Light snowfall to bring 5 cm before dark with temps steady.
Winds back to SW Saturday night, 20cm is possible through Sunday midnight, winds may spike to extreme.
Cooling Monday.
For more information see AvCan's Mt Wx
