Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Ice climbers should pay attention to wind loading overhead, especially on the Eastern slopes of the park over the next 24 hrs. In the main ranges the snowpack remains shallow with plenty of early season hazards below the surface. LP
Weather Forecast
The temperatures will drop this week to the -20C range. One more day of moderate N-NE wind as the arctic air moves into the region. The cold temperatures look like they will be with us until at least Friday.
Snowpack Summary
A few cm's of new snow in the alpine. On alpine lee features the snowpack consists of wind slabs over a weak mid-pack with a very weak base of facets. The Oct 27 crust on N-NE aspects in the alpine is breaking down, but is still a sliding layer near ground. On average at treeline there is 70-80 cm of snow, barely blanketing the rocks and stumps.
Avalanche Summary
Small loose snow avalanches observed off cliff features on Mt. Stephen and Crowfoot Peak during the wind event today and yesterday. This activity is mainly a concern for ice climbers. No new slab avalanche activity over the last 4 days.
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.