Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Ski quality is still not great throughout the forecast region, and below treeline travel is mainly faceted. Most ice climbs are in decent early season shape. SH
Weather Forecast
W-NW alpine winds Sunday moderate gusting strong. Alpine temperatures should stay below freezing with a mix of sun and cloud and no precipitation.
Snowpack Summary
The Oct. crust/facet layer at the base of the snowpack is the primary concern in the forecast region. Wind slabs up to 1 meter thick over this layer have been stiffening up due to constant W winds. The crust is most prevalent on polar aspects in the alpine, and mainly a facet layer on solar aspects. Below treeline is faceted powder over the ground.
Avalanche Summary
Lake Louise reported more activity than there has been over the last few days, and explosive control was producing size 2`s over the crust on steep NE/N alpine terrain. They attribute this to the stiffening wind slabs over the crust. Sunshine reported one size 2.5 on an E asp. seen outside the boundary, likely occurring within the last 24 hours.
Confidence
Due to the quality 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.