Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
A bit of wind in the last 24 hours has been responsible for some wind effect and slab formation in the alpine.
Weather Forecast
A bit of moisture will trickle over the divide Sunday and Monday as pacific air fights against polar air over the prairies expect cloud and trace amounts with treeline temperatures between -10 and -15. A mild temperature inversion has formed. A high pressure system will take hold Tuesday bringing a return to clear skies and northerly winds
Snowpack Summary
A well settled snowpack with few weaknesses exists throughout the region. Some small isolated wind slabs exist on leeward slopes in the high alpine. Below 2000m the Dec 3 layer of surface hoar remains visible and produces hard, planar test results in some areas. This weakness is strengthening. Thin snow pack areas are beginning to facet out.
Avalanche Summary
One new natural slab avalanche was observed Friday on a steep N facing hanging snowfield on White Pyramid, 15-20m wide and about 1m deep, possibly cornice triggered. Some sluffing has been observed in really steep terrain due to the increasing winds moving the low density surface snow .
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
Problems
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.