Generally safe avalanche conditions but its still worth keeping a healthy sense of uncertainty when traveling in our shallow, cold, Rockies snowpack.
Weather Forecast
Saturday will be sun with clouds, warming in the afternoon sun, -22 C, and dry conditions as the arctic air rules supreme over our region. Winds will be light Easterly. Sunday will be cloudy, no new snow, Low -25 C, High -16 C, and light East winds. Mountain weather forecast available at Avalanche Canada.
Snowpack Summary
The upper snowpack remains faceted on all aspects. Wind effect in open terrain from previous SW and now N winds. Much of the mid-pack is faceted with some strength and support on skis but not under foot. Isolated sensitivity to Jan 18th layer at treeline and below, but not consistent to all areas. Large depth hoar on the ground at all locations.
Avalanche Summary
Field team in the Maligne, Bald Hills region got no results on field tests from a snow profile at 2200m. No recent avalanche activity in the area.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
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.
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.