Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Avoid uneven, shallow, and faceted areas. Try to find areas with consistent, deeper snow.
Weather Forecast
Although snow and wind are forecast for friday and beyond, the models are ranging from 5 to 25cm. Check the forecast again tomorrow. Windslabs may start to form late Friday, and into Saturday
Snowpack Summary
A 40cm to 100cm bridge or slab overlies 20 to 50 cm of large facets and depth hoar. Many open areas have been affected by the wind.
Avalanche Summary
There have been no recent reports of avalanches in the area.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
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.