New snow has not had time to consolidate and is likely to sluff from steep terrain. Be especially careful on Ice climbs that expose you to this real hazard.
Weather Forecast
Overnight from Saturday and into Sunday morning fell a further 40cm of snow in the Icefields area. Expect a further 5 - 10cm in that area overnight with some short term clearing as the temps drop slightly. Increasing cloudiness over the morning as temps are expected to remain steady around -5 to -10. Increasing moderate wind over the day.
Snowpack Summary
Snow depths are highly variable between elevation ranges and north to south across the region. Greatest depths can be found in the Columbia Icefields area. Moderate to strong ridge top winds have created soft slabs on top of a weak unsupportive, and unsettled snowpack.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed today due to poor visibility
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.