Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Current conditions are great up high, with North aspects still holding dry powder. There's still some lingering concern with wind slab especially where it has formed over a crust.
Weather Forecast
A clearing trend forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday with good overnight re-freeze. Freezing levels will reach 2000m as daytime high temperatures in the valley climb to plus 10. Later in the week we can expect more precipitation with up to 20cm by the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
30 to 50cm has fallen at higher elevations since April 9. Recent winds and snow have created windslabs on lee N and E aspects in the alpine, up to 100cm deep. Still some uncertainty with the March 7 layer, snowpack structure and recent test show a weakness 50 to100cm down on high north aspects but no avalanche activity has been recently reported.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed today. Loose dry avalanche activity in the past 24 hours has tapered.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.