Avalanche Forecast

A system tonight could deliver another 10-20 cm with moderate west wind creating new wind slabs and adding to existing slabs.  In some areas, this could be enough to overload existing weaknesses and another natural cycle may result.  Winds will flip to moderate NW as the system passes and temperatures will cool.  Skies will clear for the weekend.

Over the past week, 60-80 cm of snow has fallen in the region with strong West winds.  The storm snow is starting to bond to underlying layers West of the divide, but still may be of concern steeper features where the interface is a suncrust.  East the divide, storm snow is a cohesive slab resting on a weak faceted snowpack.

Yesterday a size 2.5 was noted in Redoubt bowl (near Lake Louise ski area) with a 400 m wide propagation with a crown 60-80 cm thick. Generally, natural activity has tapered, only a few naturals to size 2 were reported in the area yesterday in steeper alpine lee terrain.  Skier triggering of recently developed slabs remains possible to likely.

Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain