Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
We have not seen activity on the Dec 3rd surface hoar layer below treeline of late, and are waiting for more snow to make this prominent layer active. Dig down to see if its there and the slab properties above. SH
Weather Forecast
Expect a few cm each day for the next few days with light to moderate West winds. Temperatures Saturday will cool slightly in the -8 to -10 range and will be mainly cloudy through the forecast period.
Snowpack Summary
In sheltered terrain between 1700 and 2150m, 30-40 cm of facetted snow sits over the December 3rd surface hoar. Inconsistent shears are being found on this interface. No other significant shears have been observed in the snowpack. There is approximately 1 meter of snow at treeline,
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed in the last few days.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.