Watch for signs of wind slab formation and be cautious around thin areas where the deeper facets may still be triggered.
Extreme W to SW winds overnight Thursday and a few cm new snow have developed slabs in lee alpine and treeline terrain. These will be bigger in areas with more new snow and may run further than expected if they pick up facetted snow in steep gullied terrain.
Weak facets exist at the base of the snowpack. Large open slopes at treeline and in the alpine remain suspect.
Lake Louise triggered small wind slabs up to size 1.5 with explosives near ridge crests. A skier-triggered avalanche also occurred up Chickadee Valley on Saturday with no injuries.
Since December 7, 5 to 10 cm of snow has fallen, and strong to extreme west winds on Friday have created slabs in the alpine and some treeline features. The recent snow sits on a layer of facets and surface hoar that persists in isolated locations.
The middle and bottom of the snowpack are weak, with depth hoar and facets near the ground.
An average of 60-100cm of snow can be found at treeline elevations.
Monday brings moderate NW winds in the alpine, no snow, and treeline temperatures in the -4 to -9C range.
