Plan to travel early to take advantage of the crust and be off big slopes by mid-day. The avalanche hazard will rise on slopes with prolonged exposure to the sun.
Weather Forecast
Monday will be seasonal temperatures, some cloud, and light SW winds. Tuesday will be similar yet expect precipitation developing late in the day, shifting winds from SE, snow at higher elevations likely being rain below 2500m. Some models are suggesting 25cm of snow which could translate to significant amount of rain.
Snowpack Summary
The crust is staying intact except for the steepest solar facing aspects below tree-line. The snowpack remains moist below this crust up to tree-line elevation. Higher elevations, the snowpack is a well bridged mid-pack over a faceted base. Cornices are large and ominous.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche observed Sunday at Maligne and Icefields.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain on Tuesday
Problems
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.
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.