Great skiing can be found in sheltered areas above treeline.
Weather Forecast
Daytime temperatures will gradually rise into the week with good overnight recovery. Light alpine and treeline SW winds can be expected. Sunny conditions will make for inviting conditions.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 35 cm of storm snow has fallen in the alpine in the Icefields Area with rain at lower elevations. Strong SW winds has created soft slab conditions on lee aspects. Deep persistent weaknesses (crusts and basal facets) exist at the base of the snowpack. A strong rain crust extends into treeline.
Avalanche Summary
A 2.5 slab avalanche was observed below an alpine ridge on NE aspect. This avalanche stepped down to a crust deeper in the snowpack. No other natural avalanches were noted today.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations on Monday
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.