Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Ski quality is sub par. Forecasters still have lowered confidence in steep terrain at higher elevations, where triggering the basal weakness is a very real possibility. SH
Weather Forecast
Light NW winds, a trace of snow and lows in the -20's for Sunday. 5-10cm of snow with mod-strong alpine winds are forecast for Monday accompanied by a warming trend.
Snowpack Summary
80-120cm exists across the region.The main weakness is the basal facets and depth hoar which has been producing inconsistent test results. The Dec18 layer of surface hoar is down an average 20cm, but does not currently have enough snow load above it to be a serious concern. In the alpine, thin windslabs can be found in isolated, wind exposed areas.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed or reported today.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Monday
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.