Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/scond/Cond_E.asp?oID=26206&oPark=100092Enjoy the fresh snow, but make conservative terrain choices. Natural activity has slowed with the cooling temperatures, but the potential to trigger large avalanches is still very real.
Weather Forecast
Light snow in the forecast for Sunday night and Monday morning with a few more flurries over the next few days. Winds should stay in the light range and temperatures are expected to slowly decrease over the forecast period.
Snowpack Summary
10-25cm of recent storm snow with little wind effect. Minimal surface slab formation at tree line and above, but persistent problems remain with the lower half of the snow pack being weak and faceted. Cooler temperatures have helped to stabilize the snow pack below tree line but the snow pack is still generally weak and very faceted.
Avalanche Summary
Not much new avalanche activity was observed on Sunday with the exception of the new snow sluffing out of steep cliff features. There has been a lot of natural and human triggered avalanche activity over the past 5 days up to size 3. While natural activity is expected to taper off, human triggering will remain likely for some time.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Problems
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.
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.