The avalanche hazard will rise with prolonged sun exposure or if precipitation falls as rain.
Weather Forecast
Cloudy conditions will prevail on Saturday with light flurries producing 5-10 cm of new snow. Light SW winds are forecast with treeline temperature hoovering around -5. Similar conditions are expected on Sunday with less snow. The avalanche hazard will rise on Monday with clear skies and double digit temperatures expected.
Snowpack Summary
Mod SW winds forming windslab along alpine ridge tops. A temperature crust can be found on most lower elevation slopes and a sun crust on southerly facing slopes into the alpine. At elevation and if buried by blown snow this will present some avalanche danger. At lower elevation, when intact, is provides stability & support.
Avalanche Summary
No avalanches reported today. A fridge sized chunk of cornice fell on an alpine East facing slope south of the Icefields failed to trigger anything.
Confidence
The weather pattern is stable on Saturday
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.
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.