Spring conditions - travel early and be off slopes before it warms up. The Maligne Lake Road is closed but will likely open Monday evening. Expect delays on the Icefields Parkway late in the afternoon.
Weather Forecast
Cold tonight then warm and sunny tomorrow with S winds. A cool day with flurries is expected Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
A crust extends from below treeline (TL) to sunny TL aspects. The crust will maintain its strength until it is exposed to prolonged sun and warm temperatures. Wet to moist snow is present below the crust depending on elevation and aspect. Windslabs look thick on all lee alpine and TL slopes. Cornices are large and looming.
Avalanche Summary
Several size 1-2 loose avalanches noted Sunday from alpine to below treeline. They only occurred on the steepest solar aspects and stopped where angle eased. A couple cornice failures were noted in the alpine which did not result in any propagation.
Confidence
Timing or intensity of solar radiation is uncertain on Monday
Problems
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.
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.