Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Banff Yoho Kootenay.
While we move to 3 x LOW danger, we remind people of residual risks such as cornices, of which several have fallen off this week, as well as sluffs, which need to be managed in Kootenay Park's steep terrain. These will gain mass in confined gullies.
Weather Forecast
One more brush with -25 for Thursday morning, then it should stay in the teens for the rest of the week. Thursday will be mostly clear with some clouds in the afternoon as another system moves in and light snow starts on Friday. Nothing significant until Sunday when models are showing a more substantial snowfall.
Snowpack Summary
Isolated, thin windslabs persist in the high alpine and continued to form on Wednesday with most alpine snow surfaces being wind effected. At treeline and below the snowpack is well settled except the surface snow which is facetted and sluffs in steep terrain. A facet and sun crust layer buried Jan 27 persists at treeline down 30-40 cm.
Avalanche Summary
No significant slab avalanche activity reported or observed over the past 4 days. Sluffing continues to happen in very steep areas, and some small windslabs triggered by ski cuts and explosives have been reported by the ski hills.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Alpine areas are wind effected throughout, including isolated pockets of windslab in loaded gullies, or pockets below cornices. If you're traveling in extreme terrain, expect to find small wind slabs. Check your line with a ski cut before committing.
- Use caution in lee areas. Recent wind loading has created wind slabs.
- Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could trigger slabs.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5