Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Winds are expected to pick up on Friday. Watch for fresh windslabs.
Weather Forecast
Continued cold temperatures (with a slight temperature inversion) through to Saturday with a slight warming trend starting Sunday. Winds are forecasted to increase on Friday and becoming strong from the north-west on Saturday. Light amounts of snow forecast starting Saturday night.
Snowpack Summary
With exception of deeper snowpack areas (along and west of Divide) the snowpack is almost entirely faceted. There is very little cohesion in upper 30 cm, resulting in significant sluffing in steep terrain. The Nov 12 crust (~40 cm above ground) is still a significant layer in the snow pack. Pay attention to this layer after the next snowfall.
Avalanche Summary
No significant slab avalanches have been reported or observed in the past week. Loose snow avalanches (up to size 1.5) are occurring out of steeper terrain.
Confidence
Wind speed and direction is uncertain 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.
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.