Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Good skiing remains in sheltered areas at treeline and above with good travel conditions overall. Use caution in lee areas as the recent wind slabs can still be triggered in steep terrain.
Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud and only a few cm of snow over the next few days with a slight cooling trend and light NW winds.
Snowpack Summary
10-35cm of recent snow with W winds has formed wind slabs in many areas above treeline. The Nov 12 crust down 20-50cm is slowly facetting and weakening. This crust is found everywhere except on high N slopes. At this point the bond to the crust seems strong in most places. Below this the base is quite supportive except in thin snowpack areas.
Avalanche Summary
A couple very small wind slabs both natural and skier triggered were observed Sunday in steep terrain but very little avalanche activity overall. Not much activity reported at the local ski hills.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations
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.