Good skiing in sheltered locations. Watch for early season hazards like rocks and stumps at lower elevations. Pay close attention to localized wind effect.
Weather Forecast
A cold front will bring moderate precip until it clears the area on Friday afternoon. The arctic high over the prairies will cause an overall drop in temperatures to near -25'C by mid-weekend, but this should trap moist air against the divide and allow for light accumulations through Sunday. Moderate SW will continue through the forecast period.
Snowpack Summary
Windslabs at ridge crests and in the alpine with recent SW winds. 25-30cm of storm snow bonding well to previous surfaces. The Nov 29/Dec 3 crust down 60 to 70cm is producing broken shears in facets below the crust. This crust disappears above 2000m. Snowpack depth at treeline is 170cm but varies widely due to previous strong winds
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed over the past several days.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
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.