It will be difficult to find good quality skiing this weekend but travel conditions should be good. We expect ice climbing conditions to be excellent!
Weather Forecast
Temperatures will drop tonight and rebound to +5 to +7 at Treeline on Saturday. Winds will continue to be light from the SW and sunny skies are forecast.
Snowpack Summary
Warm temperatures are promoting settlement in the snowpack. A supportive mid-pack can be found in sheltered locations. Last weekend's storm has been stripped by extreme Northerly winds. Wind slabs are present on lee slopes and in cross-loaded gullies. Weak basal facets are present on slopes where they haven't either slid or been blown away.
Avalanche Summary
No new observations today. The crew at Marmot reported minimal results on their control work, the exception being a size 2.5 on a SE facing Alpine slope on the basal facets. Yesterday's control work on the Icefields Parkway yielded large avalanches to size 3 on all alpine aspects releasing on either the storm snow interface or on basal facets.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain on Saturday
Problems
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.
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.