Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Winter returns... snow is in the forecast! See the "forecast details" tab for more information on the forecasted weather.
Weather Forecast
Light flurries move into the region on Thursday and will be accompanied by strong winds. Snow is expected Friday-Sunday with up to 10 cm per day expected. Greatest amounts will be along the Continental Divide and West. Winds accompanying the weekend storm will be light SW with moderate gusts.
Snowpack Summary
Recent strong wind has created hard slabs on the snow surface in the alpine. On the Wapta, areas of soft snow with ski penetrations to 15 cm were found today. At and below treeline expect to find a mix of facets and crusts. As ghastly as that combination sounds, generally it is well bonded.
Avalanche Summary
A natural size avalanche size 1.5 was observed near the Balfour Hut on Tuesday. The observer describes the avalanche as a hard windslab. It was noted at 2300m on a North aspect. No other avalanches were observed or reported.
Confidence
Due to the quality of field observations
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
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.