Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Remember, LOW does not mean zero chance of avalanches. However, Thurs/Fri are shaping up to be fantastic alpine days, with no wind and warm-ish temps. Ski quality could be hard to find, so get up high and have a look around.
Weather Forecast
The cold is supposed to subside slightly on Thursday, with alpine temperatures rising to about -15. The trend will continue on Friday, which poses to be a calm, relatively warm and spectacular day (minus the rough surface condition). However, this slight warming trend will have minimal affect on the danger rating.
Snowpack Summary
5-10 cm of recent snow sits on the January 30th surface hoar below treeline. In the alpine this recent snow is over a firm wind slab or a thick sun crust on S & W aspects. The snowpack has gained strength over the past few weeks, and snowpack tests are now producing hard results 20 cm above the ground in the facetted base layer.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been observed or reported.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Thursday
Problems
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.