Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
Avoid big alpine features until the spring cycle has has happened. Watch for solar input and daytime heating.
Weather Forecast
Freezing temperatures forecast for Saturday and Sunday may dip as low as double digits. 5 cm of accompanying light snow is expected.
Snowpack Summary
Deep instabilities may still be triggered in specific areas. Watch for thinner areas that may trigger depths over one metre. While rotten basal layers are not universal, they can still be found on different aspects. A change in wind direction to a more northerly flow may create small windslabs in the alpine.
Avalanche Summary
Small high altitude sloughing in lee areas and small solar releases in exposed aspects were noted.
Confidence
Freezing levels are uncertain
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.