Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Some light snow Thursday may freshen up some slopes W of the divide, but avoid areas of wind slab which may be buried by new snow. SH
Weather Forecast
5-10 cm possible by Thursday night with mod-strong NW winds and slightly cooling alpine temperatures.
Snowpack Summary
Recent strong winds have created widespread wind effect in the alpine. Windward slopes are scoured and hard and soft slabs that are possible to trigger exist elsewhere. In shallow snowpack areas the mid-pack has facetted out and become weaker. Below 2200 m surface hoar exists in some locations and produces moderate results with comp. tests.
Avalanche Summary
No new natural activity today. Hard windslabs to size 2 have been skier triggered within the last few days in the alpine.
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.