5cm of recent snow but we still need a significant storm to get a full reset! Thin areas are the places where a skier may trigger the basal facets!
Weather Forecast
Overnight and throughout the day on thursday we are expecting dribs and drabs of snow but not a significant accumulation. Temperatures will be in the -10C range with wionds increasing to moderate out of the SW. This is going to be roughly what we are going to see over the next few days...
Avalanche Summary
Suspect no new avalanches were observed today.
Snowpack Summary
5cm of snow fell overnight and a dusting of snow throughout the day. The eastern region (Kananaskis Valley and Ghost) saw slightly more than this as the snowfall was more up-slope in nature. This new snow is sitting on a variety of snow surface such as windslabs and facetted snow. The Jan 17th layer is now down approx 15cm at treeline. We have a pretty well settled upper snow pack that is sitting on 50-60cm of basal facets. Because of the variability in snow depth, it is easy to come across thinner spots which are more sensitive to lighter loads such as a skier and also likely to trigger an avalanche.
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.