Strong winds have eased but wind slabs remain in alpine lee areas. Expect further development of wind slabs on Sunday when windy conditions return.
Monitor local weather conditions at Avalanche Canada's website.
Wind-loaded alpine and high treeline features now hold enough snow to produce avalanches. Early season avalanches often occur over thin, irregular snowpacks with rocks and ground features just below surface, increasing the likelihood of injury if caught.
Test firing of Mt Bosworth's remote avalanche control system (Gaz-Ex) produced two size 1.5 windslabs, both located on a South aspect at 2300m. Bombing at Lake Louise produced size 1 slabs in lee-loaded features. Sunshine Village ski cuts are producing shallow size 1 wind slabs at treeline in freshly loaded pockets.
5–10 cm of storm snow has been redistributed into wind slabs in lee areas, especially in the alpine. Height of snow is 80-100cm in the alpine, 30–60 cm at treeline, and it tapers quickly below treeline. Early reports suggest that while the snowpack is generally thin, it supports the weight of a skier.
Alpine temps are expected to climb to just above 0°C on Sunday, with the valleys reaching around +5°C. Skies will be partly mixed, but no precipitation is forecasted for Sunday. On Monday, expect up to ~5 cm of new snow with increasing cloud. Alpine winds will increase through the period, becoming strong from the west.
Western Canada weather maps
