Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Make sure you evaluate the November 12 crust carefully prior to committing to bigger slopes.
Weather Forecast
The cold weather is expected to continue with only a slight increase in temperatures expected over the next few days. A few flurries are expected over the weekend along the divide with light to moderate alpine winds out of the West. Dress warm!!!
Snowpack Summary
Small wind slabs found in isolated alpine areas. 30-80 cm of settled snow over the November 12 crust. Stability tests on this crust are mixed, ranging from no results to easy results. This crust is more reactive in the Lake Louise area on southerly aspects above treeline. Rapid faceting and weakening of the snowpack with the cold temperatures.
Avalanche Summary
A few small loose dry avalanches observed in steep terrain Friday as the surface snow facets and weakens. Several recent natural and skier triggered slab avalanches have been observed on southerly aspects in the alpine running on the November 12 crust.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
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.