The alpine hazard will slowly increase as new snow arrives. Watch for wind loading, and the bond with buried sun crusts. Lower elevation hazard will fluctuate with the temperatures, rising during the day and lowering overnight.
Weather Forecast
Saturdays forecast is for 5-10 cm of snow along the divide with snow fall amounts easing off by mid day, and moderate SW winds in the alpine. Freezing levels are forecast to stay below 2000m though some rain showers may occur at lower elevations. An additional 5-10 cm is forecast for Sunday night along the divide.
Snowpack Summary
5-8 cm of new snow on Friday with wind effect in the alpine from Mod SW winds and thin wind slabs in lee areas. The March 15 sun crust is down 25-50 cm on solar aspects in the alpine and still a concern in some locations. Various temperature crusts and/or moist snow can be found on solar aspects in the alpine and on all aspects below 2000m.
Avalanche Summary
Some thin touchy skier controlled wind slabs were reported on Friday from the local ski hills up to size 1, with propagations of up to 50 m wide on solar aspects. No new natural avalanches were observed on a flight to the Wapta Icefields Friday morning.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain 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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.