Choose appropriate terrain today as the sun comes out. Even small avalanches can have severe consequences.
Weather Forecast
As the jet stream pushes south and a high pressure system sets up over us, we can expect sunny cool conditions with a convective flurry this afternoon. Winds are forecasted to reach 20km/ph from the west and an alpine high of -12 deg. For the weekend there is minimal precipitation forecasted with cool temps and light to moderate winds.
Snowpack Summary
Incremental snow fall amounts fell over the past few days totalling 10-20 cm. This new snow sits on a variety of surfaces depending on aspect, elevation and drainage. Near the Illecillewaet Glacier we observed a supportive crust to 1900m under the new snow, while on the west side of the park the crust was less prevalent and buried 35cm.
Avalanche Summary
Little in the way of natural avalanche activity was observed yesterday. In the highway corridor we only saw 1 size 2 avalanche, loose dry in nature and came out of steep solar facing terrain. Small sluffs were observed yesterday by field teams on steep north aspects at TL, running slow and stopping short.
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.