Purcells

Remember: LOW danger doesn't mean NO danger.  Read the snowpack description on page 2 for more details.

Good - The weather pattern is stable

Synopsis: A arctic airmass is now firmly entrenched over the province . No significant change in the weather is expected in the near future:Saturday: Sunny with cloudy periods / Light north winds / High -13C, Freezing level at valley bottomSunday: Sunny with cloudy periods / Light north winds / High -14C, Freezing level at valley bottomMonday: Sunny with cloudy periods / Light north winds / High -17C, Freezing level at valley bottom

The combination of low density snow above a hard crust is causing sluffs to run fast and far.Observations of shooting crack in wind effected terrain indicating that windslabs are gaining cohesion.

The south of the region saw slightly more more precipitation in the last system. Near Kimberly up to 20cm of snow now sits on a variety of old surfaces, this amount is closer to 10cm further north in the Dogtooth range. The old surface can be found as large surface hoar (widespread in most sheltered and shaded areas and at all elevations), a sun crust (on open south facing slopes), facets (in colder areas or areas with a thinner snowpack), or a combination of any of the above. North winds are redistributing the new snow reverse loading lee features in the alpine and forming reactive pockets of windslab up to 40cm deep.The upper and mid-snowpack are generally supportive to a riders weight and well settled.In isolated areas where the snowpack is thinner or in steep rocky features a facet/crust weakness near the ground remains a concern. In most places the depth of this layer combined with the strength of the overlying slab makes triggering an avalanche unlikely. However, if you were unlucky enough to find a weak spot the consequence could be a large, destructive avalanche.