There is great variability in Little Yoho. Many thick snowpack areas have no weak layers of concern, but thinner areas have facets near the ground. Its worth digging down to see what your dealing with.
Weather Forecast
Highs of -2C for Thursday at valley bottom and -8C at 3000m. Winds will increase to strong at 3000m switching to NW. Very little snow is expected over the next 2 days (only a few cm).
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of snow sits over previous surfaces. Thin wind slabs can be found in alpine lee areas from previous strong winds. Of greatest concern are the weak facets and depth hoar at the base of the snowpack. In Little Yoho these are not as prevalent as E of the divide due to deeper snow depths, but are still well developed in thin snowpack areas.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed or reported.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
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.
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.