Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
We are experiencing incremental loading as the new snow and wind build on top of facets. Loose snow facet-lanches are running far, fast and powerfully.
Weather Forecast
Light accumulations will continue. Up to 15cm of snow can be expected between now and the end of Friday. The wind is expected to pick up on Thursday midday (Moderate West). All of these small weather inputs are contributing to incremental loading.
Snowpack Summary
15-25cm of recent storm snow from the past week has been blown into windslabs in high alpine areas. Meanwhile, the overall snowpack continues to gradually become weaker from the facetting process, and in some areas the upper snowpack is comprised entirely of facets with no cohesion.
Avalanche Summary
Forecasters were able to ski cut a size 1.5 windslab that entrained facets and ran for 700m.
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
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.