Don't let a lack of natural activity fool you into trusting the snow pack. The Dec 18th layer is going to linger for a long time yet! Sheltered areas at treeline will be the best bet for decent skiing.
Summary
Confidence
High -
Weather Forecast
Continued winds overnight tonight. Ridge top winds will be from the west and average about 45km/hr. Tomorrow will be similar to today. -13 as a high, no new snow and still windy (40-50km/hr) up high.
Avalanche Summary
Nothing new today
Snowpack Summary
Up to 20cm of recent snow throughout the region. Below treeline this has helped the travel conditions slightly, but not enough to recommend valley bottom travel as a trip in itself. Treeline is where the difference is felt. Where the wind hasn't touched the snow, there is the new surface snow with little structure beneath it. Where the wind has gotten to it, there is a denser layer on top of the weak mid pack. It gives an "upside down" feel while skiing. This upside down snow doesn't pose an avalanche problem until open areas at treeline, where it has more of a slab character. There is a mix of surface slabs and buried slabs that all sit on the Dec 18th facet layer. The upper ranges of treeline and alpine elevations all remain variable with almost immediate transitions between soft snow and windslab. These "laminated" slabs are up to 60cm thick and are more common in wind prone areas and below cliffs. In many alpine areas the wind slabs can be extremely dense and may propagate further than expected.
matt.mueller,
Alberta Parks
