Should the winds increase from the Southwest, pay attention to the windslab development near ridgetops and gully features.
Weather Forecast
Continuous light snowfalls will occur through the weekend with a potential of up to 30cms in the Icefields area by Sunday night. Ridgetop winds will increase to moderate from the Southwest by Saturday afternoon, redistributing some of the new snow onto lee aspects. Temperatures will remain relatively mild between - 2 to -10 C.
Snowpack Summary
A couple cms of new snow fell today with minimal wind effect. Wind slabs created after last week's storm continue to be our biggest concern in the snowpack, particularly at ridge tops and cross loaded features.�
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed in the past 48 hours.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems 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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.