The avalanche danger is Low as long as the melt freeze crust remains intact. The danger will rise rapidly as the crust deteriorates with sun exposure and daytime heating. Freezing levels are to rise dramatically Wednesday and Thursday.
Weather Forecast
Freeze-thaw conditions continue. Tuesday will be mainly sunny and slightly warmer temperatures as a result. Wednesday and Thursday will be sun and freezing levels rising to 3500m.
Snowpack Summary
There is rain crust from the valley bottom to 2,350m and a sun crust into Alpine on solar aspects. Settled wind slabs are on NE aspects from 2,000 m to the alpine. Moist and wet snow exists below the crust extending into the alpine on solar aspects. The mid-pack is solid on North aspects. Large and ominous cornices.
Avalanche Summary
Several loose wet size 2 noted on Mt sask at 2100-2500m stopping before the river. One size 2 loose wet off boundary peak. Cornice failure peak across sunwapta station E aspect initiated nothing. Dated report sometime before Saturday from Cirrus creek size 3 slab.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Tuesday
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.
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.