Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Great conditions! Most solar aspects have crusted up, best conditions will be found on North aspects.
Weather Forecast
Clear tonight with freezing levels at valley bottom. Tomorrow expect sun and cloud, light west wind, and freezing levels to rise to 2000 m. Alpine temperatures should remain cool (-5C range). Freezing levels will gradually climb with each day as we approach the weekend. Flurries and unsettled weather are forecasted for Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
Recent 20-40cm of storm snow at treeline continues to settle and bond well to underlying surfaces. A thin breakable sun crust exists on solar aspects. The midpack is generally well settled with no major concerns. The bottom of the snow pack consists of depth hoar and facets.
Avalanche Summary
Some solar induced sluffing up to size 1.5 out of steep terrain and loose dry avalanches up to size 1 have been observed in the last 36hrs. They likely occurred later in the day over the past few days. This pattern will continue the next few days with solar input. For tomorrow, the temperatures should remain relatively cool through day.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
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.