Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Good skiing and travel conditions continue, though the sun is beginning to pack a punch on S aspects. Recent wind effect is keeping the danger at Moderate in the alpine.
Weather Forecast
Light to moderate W winds for Wednesday and little to no new snow. Temperatures will stay below freezing but just barely and alpine temperatures will be in the -10 to -12C range. Thursday and Friday look even warmer, especially on the front ranges.
Snowpack Summary
Variable amounts of storm snow (10-25 cm) now sit on top of a supportive mid-pack with variable wind effect in the alpine. The higher amounts of storm snow are in the southern region. Sun crust forming on some steep solar aspects. The deeper facet layers down 80-150 cm remain weak but are presently difficult to propagate.
Avalanche Summary
Sluffing and thin wind slabs up to size 1.5 were observed in steep alpine terrain in the last 2 days, including some solar triggered sluffs out of rocky areas. No other avalanches reported or observed.
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 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.