Although conditions and the weather are good - it's a bit spooky out there with weak facets buried in the snowpack. Impossible to predict and only time will heal it. Natural avalanche are not expected, but skiers will trigger one in the right place.
Recent winds have created windslabs in the alpine and some treeline locations. These slabs are now 3-4 days old and we expect their sensitivity to decrease. However, they may be more reactive where they overly facets.
This problem represents both the Dec. 2nd crust/ facet layer (treeline and below) and layers of faceted snow that were formed during the late December cold snap (all elevations). If triggered, either layer could result in large avalanches.
A ridge of high pressure continues to dominate the weather pattern in our region with clear skies and light-moderate NW winds forecast for Thursday. Temperatures should remain below freezing in all areas except sheltered, south and west facing slopes where there could be local warming.
Wind effect and wind slabs in the alpine and exposed tree-line areas and suncrust on steep south facing terrain. In sheltered areas, 20-40 cm of soft snow overlies facets and is good skiing. Facets and a weak mid-pack remain the dominant concern and the Dec 2 crust is down 100-150 cm and producing hard test results in most of Yoho.
Skiers triggered a cornice that triggered a size 3 avalanche on the east face of Mt. Carnarvon (above Hamilton Lakes in Yoho Park) on Tuesday. This stepped down to a deeper persistent layer, which illustrates that big triggers or "hitting the sweet spot" can still produce large avalanches. Nothing new reported on Wednesday.
