Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Winter has arrived with up to 30cm of new snow in alpine areas. At treeline and below snow depths are still below threshold.
Weather Forecast
An additional 15-20cm is forecast overnight for alpine areas. Clearing by midday on Sunday and cool and clear for the next few days.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 80cm of snow is present at higher elevations and the facetting process is well under way at the base of the snowpack. In places a thin wind slab exists over the facets. Expect sluffing in any steep terrain.
Avalanche Summary
Neighboring Kananaskis Country had a avalanche incident involving ice climbers today. See the Kananaskis Public Safety Facebook site for more details. Expect similar conditions in the Banff forecast region.
Problems
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.