Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Banff, Banff Yoho Kootenay, East Side 93N, Field, Kootenay, LLSA, Lake Louise, Sunshine, West Side 93N.
Saturday is expected to be cooler with a few centimetres of new snow
Overall conditions have improved, but there are still weak layers of facets and depth hoar in the lower snowpack, which shouldn't be forgotten about.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed or reported over the last 24 hours.
Snowpack Summary
Surface crusts exist on solar aspects to ridgetop and on all aspects at treeline and below. On northerly aspects, 10-30 cm dry snow with isolated wind effect in lee areas of the alpine. The March 27 crust is 30-70 cm deep and extends to about 2500m. Below the settled midpack, there are still facets and depth hoar to the ground.
Weather Summary
Saturday: Expect less solar input, increased SW winds, trace to a few centimetres of snow with mainly cloudy skies. See below for more information.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
An 80 cm thick midpack slab sits over a weak, facetted base. On most slopes, recent sun crusts and the buried March 27 rain crust cap the slab, adding some strength. Be cautious in thin alpine areas or where these crusts are weak or breaking down in the heat.
Aspects: North, North East, East, West, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 2 - 3