Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
An arctic high pressure is setting in over the forecast region. Conditions are on an improving trend. If you can bear the temperatures the skiing is currently excellent.
Weather Forecast
Clear skies, light wind and very cold temperatures are forecasted for the next three days.
Snowpack Summary
30 cm of light, dry storm snow has fallen over the past 48-hours. Some thin and small windslabs were observed at ridge top today. Deeper in the snowpack, the Nov crust appears to faceting, with easy to moderate test results observed.
Avalanche Summary
Explosive control at Lake Louise ski area produced results up to size 2 this morning. Predominantly these slides were storm snow instabilities and very soft slabs up to 15-30cm deep.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Tuesday
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.