Recent snow has been wind effected but soft snow can still be found on high north aspects. Watch for windslabs in immediate lees and heads up for solar warming if the sun is out!
New snow and West / Southwest winds earlier this week created widespread wind effect and new wind slabs in alpine lee areas. These were reactive to ski cuts and explosives at the Lake Louise Ski Hill on Wednesday.
The Feb 3 layer is down 60-130 cm. In shallow snowpack areas on northerly alpine aspects, this layer may still be sensitive to skiers, with remote triggering observed in a couple of instances last week. All recent avalanches that initiated on this Feb 3 layer stepped down to the basal facets/ground.
Ski patrol at Lake Louise reported triggering windslabs in alpine lee features that were 10-30 cm deep up to size 1.5. Sunshine reported some small cornice failures with daytime warming.
The Feb 3rd persistent weak layer is a deeper layer that we have been monitoring. There have been three avalanches involving this layer in the last 10 days: a natural near Bow Summit, a skier remote in Purple Bowl and a skier accidental at the Cathedral Glades.
Surface crusts exist on all solar aspects and up to ~2000 m on shaded north aspects. Above ~ 2000m on north aspects, 10-30 cm of dry, wind effected snow exists with windslabs on lee ridgetop features.
The midpack is generally well settled until the February 3 persistent weak layer which remains a concern for human triggering in shallow snowpack areas on northerly alpine aspects. In these areas, no crusts are found in the upper snowpack and the midpack remains thin and weak.
Thursday - expect increasing cloud with flurries in the afternoon/evening and only trace amounts. Freezing levels (FL) will be between 2000-2200 m with moderate SW ridgetop winds.
Friday - scattered flurries continue with light to moderate SW wind. FL range 2100-2400 m.
Saturday - expect bands of high cloud and moderate west wind.
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