Regions
Banff Yoho Kootenay.
The well facetted snowpack is fragile and often unsupportive. These conditions are unlikely to change in the short term.
Weather Forecast
Colder sunny weather is forecast for the week. There is hope of some new precipitation later in the weekend. In the short term, the weather will promote further facetting.
Snowpack Summary
Strong to Extreme S and W have redistributed the 5 to 10 cm of new snow and the 10 to 20 cm that fell last week. Isolated surface hoar may be found buried in sheltered locations. Generally the midpack is weak at TL and above, and the entire snowpack is weak BTL. Near the divide, deeper snow-packs are a bit stronger and more supportive.
Avalanche Summary
A small avalanche cycle ran over the weekend but seems to have ended. Most of these events could be attributed to the wind redistributing recent snowfall and speak to the fragile nature of the snowpack: it required only small inputs to generate natural avalanches.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
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.