Warm temperatures on Wednesday will keep avalanche danger elevated. If you're seeking good snow you'll have to head up high, but be cautious with freshly wind-loaded slopes and overhanging cornices.
Summary
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Wednesday: Mainly cloudy with light snow or rain - 5-10 mm/cm. The freezing level peaks somewhere near 2000-2200 m. Ridge wind are light gusting to moderate. Thursday: A chance of flurries early then mainly sunny. The freezing level is around 1800 m and ridge winds are moderate from the SW. Friday: Mainly sunny. The freezing level is around 1800 m and winds remain moderate from the SW.
Avalanche Summary
No new slab avalanches have been reported in the past few days. Small loose dry and loose wet sluffs were observed in the Crowsnest Pass area on Tuesday. There was also evidence of recent natural cornice failures.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 30 cm of recent storm snow sits on a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects and lower elevation terrain, surface hoar on sheltered slopes, and older wind affected surfaces in exposed terrain. Widespread wind effect is evident in the alpine with fresh wind slabs forming in exposed lee terrain. Cornices have grown significantly recently. Expect moist snow or a thin sun crust on solar aspects depending on the time of day. A layer of buried surface hoar can be found between 50 and 70cm down and remains a concern, primarily west of the Continental Divide. Below 1500-1600 m the snowpack is essentially isothermal and very spring-like. The snowpack rests on a weak crust/facet layer from early December.
pmarshall,
Avalanche Canada
