Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
The hazard continues to increase with the strong winds and some new snow on the way. More conservative terrain choices will be the best bet for the next day or two until the snowpack has a chance to stabilize.
Weather Forecast
Warmer temperatures and 5-10cm of new snow are forecasted to arrive on Sunday night and into Monday. This approaching system is expected to arrive with moderate to strong West winds at higher elevations.
Snowpack Summary
Moderate to strong winds creating widespread wind slabs above tree line. In sheltered areas the top 30cm of the snow pack is loose facets, and most areas with a snowpack of less than 60cm consist entirely of loose unconsolidated facets. The Nov 12 layer is down 30-80cm and not currently reactive though test results on this layer are variable.
Avalanche Summary
Several natural and skier triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 1.5 were observed and reported on Sunday. Loose snow avalanches up to size 1.5 are occurring in steep terrain with the strong winds. Some of these avalanches are traveling further than expected because of the weak faceted snowpack acting as marbles near the ground.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Monday
Problems
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.
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.