The new snow is bonding poorly to the old snow and is presently touchy. Watch out for large open areas, or gullied terrain that can gain mass quickly. More than 10 cm Saturday would quickly bring us back to considerable danger.
Weather Forecast
Low elevation sites on the BC side of the Rockies have not recovered for a few days, and pockets of isothermal are present on the Field Back Road and the Tak Falls road. 10cm more upslope snow is expected Saturday.
Snowpack Summary
The majority of the old, settled snowpack is stable and recent tests have not found any weaknesses. 5-30 cm of new snow from the past two days has formed a soft slab, was distributed unevenly in Little Yoho, and is poorly bonded to melt-freeze or old snow layers .
Avalanche Summary
Storm slab avalanches up to size 2 were noted today in Yoho, Loose moist, size 1 avalanches were also noted.
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.
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.