Good skiing can be found on north aspects. Solar triggering is possible on all steep south aspects in the Alpine. Ice climbers take heed.
Weather Forecast
Continued warm temperatures at treeline and above with sunny skies and light NW winds as the inversion continues through Friday. A gradually cooling trend into the weekend is forecast as the warm air mixes and descends to the valley bottom.
Snowpack Summary
There is a well settled snowpack in most locations. A 30 - 70 cm persistent slab overlies a significant crust (Nov.23). Bonding appears to be strengthening at this interface. The Halloween crust sits near the bottom of the snowpack from treeline to 2700 m.
Avalanche Summary
There were numerous dry loose avalanches (size 1-2), along the Icefields Parkway and Maligne Lake Road on steep solar aspects, running to treeline today. A large size 3 slab avalanche was observed in the Icefields this afternoon on a steep South facing slope that ran on the Halloween Crust to treeline.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Friday
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.
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.