Skiers and climbers should watch for isolated wind slabs in the alpine. On our limited travels so far, the October 26 crust reacted to skiers by whumpfing in several features. Caution is advised until more is known about this early season snowpack.
Weather Forecast
The westerly flow will continue on Tuesday bringing light precip along the divide. Expect 5-10cm by the end of Tuesday with light Westerly Winds. Temperatures are dropping as an arctic front moves in and expect lows into the -10 to -15 range in the alpine on Tuesday AM. Wednesday and Thursday will see clearing skies, cold temperatures and NW winds.
Snowpack Summary
In the alpine, 20 to 50 cm sits on the Oct. 26th temperature crust. This crust is found mainly on shaded aspects in the lower alpine and is 2 to 5 cm thick above weak facets. Total snowpack depths are 60-100cm+ in the alpine, tapering dramatically at treeline and below threshold for avalanching below treeline.
Avalanche Summary
Some size 2's were noted in steep alpine terrain along the Icefields Parkway on the weekend of Nov. 3rd/4th. These looked as though they started fairly small in extreme terrain, and gathered mass as they ran. No avalanches were observed on a quick tour near Bow Summit on Nov. 5th.