Monitor the weather changes throughout the day. Modify your travel routes if any significant elements of weather occur, such as extended sunny periods or heaven forbid, rain.
Weather Forecast
Light to moderate snow flurries are expected to continue through the day on Saturday as a cold front moves through the area. Winds will gust to moderate from the Southwest in the late afternoon followed by a drop in temperature into the evening. Sunday will return to no snowfall and high diurnal temperature variations through the day.
Snowpack Summary
Below Treeline a supportive 15cm melt freeze crust provides temporary stability above a wet and unconsolidated snowpack. The crust thins with elevation and on slopes which are not South facing. By mid afternoon, or earlier on very hot days, this crust will melt and the avalanche danger will elevate considerably. The base of the snowpack is weak.
Avalanche Summary
Today, several loose avalanches were observed with the new snow, from steep rock cliffs. Alpine and treeline locations were not visible in the icefields area. Steep, Southerly aspects below 1600m are mostly melted out.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.