Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Despite the fact that a well settled snowpack exists in most areas there are still some tricks out there. Be aware of what the inversion may be doing to the terrain above you and remember that windslabs may still release in isolated areas. TH
Weather Forecast
Clear conditions with light winds and very warm alpine temperatures are forecast for Monday. In sheltered sunny locations temperatures will return to well above freezing during the middle of the day. A temperature inversion will keep the valley bottoms cool. West winds return Tuesday with clouds forming and later, light snow arriving on Wed.
Snowpack Summary
Strong temperature inversions have allowed sun crust formation on steep solar aspects TL and above while faceting continues TL and below. Expect to find widespread and variable windslabs in open areas at tree line and above. Isolated wind slabs that overly the typical Rockies facets can still be expected in thin areas.
Avalanche Summary
Some small solar triggered sluffs to size 1 observed over the weekend. One older size 3 natural avalanche was also observed on the White Pyramid Glacier. This appears to have slid during the last major wind event last week. In places it stepped down to glacier ice showing that on high North aspects there can be a basal weak layer to keep in mind.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
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.