Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
A rotten base underlying slabs and crusts indicates the need for continued caution. The snowpack is blown out and shallow; watch for rocks.
Weather Forecast
A moderate SW flow is expected to bring very light snow, cloudy conditions, and warmer temperatures to the forecast area. Valley bottoms may get above the freezing mark.
Snowpack Summary
Wind slabs and facets dominate the Alpine snowpack. At treeline a very Rockies mixture of suncrusts, windslabs, facets and raincrusts present constant challenges. The basal weaknesses at treeline and above are waiting for a new load. Below treeline a rain crust is present and the snowpack is solidly frozen in most areas.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity was noted today.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable
Problems
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.