Cornices are becoming weaker with the current conditions - give them the respect they deserve by staying well back. Enjoy the mid-winter sunshine and have a safe and Happy New Year!..
Weather Forecast
Colder temps for Wednesday then a re-warming trend towards the end of the week. Clear skies, light westerly winds, and no precipitation for the rest of the week. Winds moderate to strong at ridgetop from the North.
Snowpack Summary
Snowpack is faceting and losing strength in shallow areas. Midpack is still generally supportive above treeline, with wind slabs in lee features at upper elevations. New surface hoar is being observed on the surface and is quite widespread. Moderate Northerly winds at ridgetop elevation may be causing some reverse loading in exposed terrain.
Avalanche Summary
Near surface faceting and a sunny day produced numerous loose snow avalanches to size 1.5 in the Columbia Icefield Area yesterday. These slides originated from steep, shallow and rocky terrain in the alpine on solar aspects. Cornice control yesterday at Marmot Basin did not trigger any slabs in slopes below.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable
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.
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.