Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
There is lots of snow available for transport. Pay attention to local winds and be aware of fresh wind slabs.
Weather Forecast
High pressure dominates the region. Mixed sun and cloud with no snow in the forecast. Another cool day for Thursday and then a warming trend for the weekend.
Snowpack Summary
Thirty to 50 cm of low density storm snow received throughout the area in past six days. Sunshine reporting lots of reactive wind and storm slabs while north of Lake Louise wind effect not as wide-spread. The mid pack is slowly gaining a bit of strength. The Oct rain crust persists at ground level in some alpine terrain.
Avalanche Summary
From Lake Louise to Bow Summit there was evidence of a cycle up to Class 2 occurring during the storm, however surprisingly little recent natural activity. Explosive work at Sunshine produced many avalanches on N-NE aspects up to Class 3. There was wide propagation with some avalanches stepping down to the Oct crust.
Problems
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.
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.