Keep to lower angle slopes in sheltered locations to find good snow and safer terrain. Avoid being below corniced slopes and cliffs.
Weather Forecast
A series of lows move inland from the coast under a SW flow provide moisture for convective flurries and gusting strong winds. Arctic air to the North keep temps cool allowing for overnight recovery. Snow flurries at upper elevations may yield up to 10cm of fresh snow. This will be quickly transported from upper elevations by strong winds.
Snowpack Summary
Gusting strong South and Westerly winds continue to build wind slabs over a mid March weak interface. In places this may be 60cm down or deeper. These wind slabs have been more reactive on cooler, shaded aspects where they formed on previously faceted surfaces. Cornices are growing and may trigger larger avalanches from the terrain below.
Avalanche Summary
A group in at the Fryatt reported a size 1.5 thin windslab on an East aspect in the alpine on Thursday. Today slab avalanches up to size 2.5 were observed in the Columbia Icefields area form wind loaded alpine terrain. One was triggered by a cornice failure and the other by continued loading from the ongoing strong gusting winds.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain
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.
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.