Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
~20cm of new snow and cooler temps have helped the early season ski conditions. Watch for the lurking early season hazards in thin areas. See forecast details re: recent incident involving ice climbers.
Weather Forecast
Flurries are forecast for Wednesday with total accumulations of 5-10cm. Cooler temperatures and light to moderate SW to West winds with a slight clearing trend near the end of the week.
Snowpack Summary
20-30cm of new snow at treeline in most of the forecast area. Winds have tapered off as of today. This new snow sits on the Nov 12 crust which is present on all but high elevation N aspects. Below this is a well settled snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
Yesterday, a group of ice climbers triggered a size 2 slab below the route "Gimme Shelter" near Consolation Lakes. One of the climbers took a 300m ride and was partially buried. No injuries were sustained and a small amount of gear was lost. A very close call.
Confidence
Due to the number of field observations 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.