Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Good ski quality out there in sheltered locations. Watch locally for wind slabs that have formed on your route. Some below treeline areas (Hwy 93 North) are reaching threshold for avalanches, while many others are still down to the dirt. SH
Weather Forecast
Only a few cm of snow Sunday and dying Westerly winds with a cooling trend. Monday and Tuesday look much the same.
Snowpack Summary
10 to 30cm of new snow over the last 48 hours (lesser amounts in the E) with shifty winds forming wind slabs. Below this 15-30 cm of recent snow sits on top of a crust which is slowly breaking down. This crust is found everywhere except on high N slopes. The bond to the crust seems strong in most places and sits over a strong base for now.
Avalanche Summary
Not much activity reported at the ski hills today. There was less wind affect than expected. Some size 1-1.5 in the immediate lees of ridges were triggered with explosives.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations on Saturday
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.
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.