Recent snow and a good weather forecast should produce some great skiing this week. The main concern is for freshly loaded steep and shallow terrain in the alpine, where facets may exist above a widespread crust (Nov11) found in the midpack.
Weather Forecast
Snowfall to taper off by Sunday morning, with only light intermittent flurries and a cloudy day. Winds light from the Southwest. Temperatures falling to -12C by Monday morning, along with a clearing trend.
Snowpack Summary
25cm of new snow in the past 48hrs on the Icefields Parkway with light to moderate Southwest winds forming soft slab in lee features. Nov 11 crust is down 50cm and can be found between 2100-2600m on all aspects and will be a layer of concern as the snow load increases. The lower pack is well settled to ground.
Avalanche Summary
No natural avalanches observed on road patrol today, but visibility was very poor.
Confidence
Due to the quality of field observations
Problems
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.