Good skiing can be found on north aspects. Solar triggering is possible on steep Alpine south aspects. Ice climbers need to be vigilant.
Weather Forecast
Saturday will be sun and cloud, no new snow, freezing level 1900m, and light West wind. Sunday will be much the same except for 1600m freezing level and weak temperature inversion. Monday will be similar but warmer with 3300m freezing level.
Snowpack Summary
There is a well settled snowpack in most locations. A 30 - 70 cm thick slab overlies a crust and bonding appears to be strengthening at this interface. The Halloween Oct 31 crust sits near the bottom of the snowpack from treeline to 2700 m.
Avalanche Summary
No patrol occurred on Friday and nothing new was reported. A helicopter flight on Thursday observed numerous dry loose avalanches, size 1-2, along the Icefields Parkway and Maligne Lake Road on steep solar aspects, running to treeline. One size 3 slab avalanche was noted on a steep South facing slope that ran on the Halloween Crust to treeline.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Saturday
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.