Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Backcountry touring in the park is highly variable now due to the early season conditions. The best snowpack is found on the west side of the Banff-Jasper highway, and the Sunshine Village backcountry. Be patient and avoid avalanche starting areas.
Weather Forecast
Little change forecast over the next few days, so Santa should have smooth sailing with only a few clouds to navigate through. Temps will range from -2 to -10 with light snowfall on Tuesday and light westerly winds.
Snowpack Summary
20 cm of facetted snow sits on a generally weak snowpack. All areas of the park have <100cm of total snowpack, comprised almost entirely of facets and depth hoar near the base. Today, field teams in Kootenay Park found well preserved surface hoar down 40 cm from the top which produced moderate to hard shears. The snowpack should not be trusted.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were observed or reported today.
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.