Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Weather Forecast
Mod NW alpine winds Sunday with a few cm possible West of the divide, but dry in the Eastern regions. Forecasts are currently calling for increasing winds Monday night/Tuesday into the strong - extreme range and light amounts of snow. This may increase the overall hazard.
Snowpack Summary
Field trips in Kootenay and Hwy93 N. found surface hoar to 1cm up to treeline as well as surface facetting. Some hard wind slabs in alpine areas are mainly unreactive. Mid pack maintaining strength in deeper snow pack areas, but thin areas are mainly faceted, including the basal Nov 6 crust.
Avalanche Summary
A few small loose snow avalanches triggered by skiers in very steep terrain at treeline in the Kootenay region. Some small loose snow avalanches also noted from steep features in the alpine on solar aspects from the last 24 hrs. All were maximum sz. 1
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
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.