Be mindful of reactive slabs forming with new snow, the deepest deposits will be in areas loaded by wind. Bump the hazard to Considerable if you find more than 20 cm fresh snow in your riding area.
Upwards of 15 cm flurries is forecast to accumulate by the end of Tuesday, with localized areas getting up to 20 cm. New snow is not expected to bond well with the old surfaces, particularly on the old crust. Expect slab reactivity to increase through the day, especially in wind-loaded terrain.
Cornices may be weak and reactive to human triggers. Give them a wide berth when travelling on ridges. They are a significant hazard alone and may produce large slab avalanches as they fall onto the slope below. Cornice falls are more likely when the weather is sunny, warm, or windy.
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with flurries, 5-10 cm by morning. Treeline low -12 C. Increasing east wind, 25-40 km/h with gusts to 70 km/h.
TUESDAY: Flurries and wet snow, another 5-10 cm snow through the day. Localized snowfall may deposit up to 20 cm total accumulations by 4 pm in areas near Core Lodge and Kakwa. Treeline temperatures rising to -3 C. Wind 30-50 km/h from the northeast.
WEDNESDAY: Partially cloudy, isolated flurries. Treeline temperatures rising to -1 C. Light winds from the southeast.
THURSDAY: Partially cloudy, isolated flurries. Treeline temperatures rising to -1 C. Light winds from the southeast.
No recent avalanche activity has been reported. Information is limited at this time of year. Please consider submitting to the Mountain Information Network!
At treeline and higher, fresh snow will cover old wind slab and wind press, and 20-40 cm of old snow. This sits on a melt-freeze crust all aspects to 2000 m and mountain tops on solar aspects. Another prominent crust layer is found 40-70 cm deep.
Cornices are very large and exposure to slopes beneath them should be minimized, especially if the weather is sunny, warm, or windy. The snowpack deteriorates rapidly at lower elevations.
