Avalanche forecast

Banff Yoho Kootenay

Dec 5 – 6, 2018Parks Canada
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Fri
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Little change. By definition the danger is low but there have been isolated skier remote avalanches in steep alpine terrain over the past several days. Conditions are good but its not open season. The snowpack continues to weaken with colder temps.

Avalanche problems

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1.5–2
    It is still possible to trigger this layer but it will be in isolated, steep spots and often adjacent to thin rocky areas. Be cautious in steep terrain where a stiffer, more cohesive slab exists over the weak faceted snow at the base of the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanches observed today. There have been a few skier remote avalanches in the past several days, size 1.5-ish, in isolated locations where a hard slab was sitting over the weak basal facets. Some small loose dry sluffs have also been reported in steep alpine terrain.

Confidence

Due to the quality of field observations on Tuesday

Weather Forecast

The benign weather pattern is staying with us for a few more days yet. Wind will remain light from the W/NW. The temperature may dip down to the -20 range Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Nil precip in last 24 hours. 5-10 cm of recent snow has been redistributed into thin wind slabs in immediate lee areas at treeline and above. The October 26th crust/facet layer is ~30 cm above ground. Snow depths range from 50-85 cm at 2000 m. In many areas the entire snowpack is faceting and becoming quite weak.

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