Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Light snow and warming temperatures over the next several days should make for a great weekend to be in the mountains. The snowpack is definitely weak, so take it easy and avoid big avalanche slopes. GS.
Weather Forecast
Clouds will move in overnight on Thursday, with light snow beginning on Friday morning and continuing through the weekend. Expect 5-10 cm total in the Bow Summit area. Temperatures are warming up and expect 0 to -5 on Friday then moving into positive temperatures on Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
Recent storm snow has settled into a soft slab and has significant wind affect in open terrain at treeline and above. The lower half of the snowpack is complex and poorly structured & comprised of the facets (Nov 24th) at the interface of the recent storm snow and a series of thin crusts (Nov 6th) and depth hoar at or slightly above the ground.
Avalanche Summary
No new activity reported today.
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.