Extreme winds over Christmas have scoured many slopes to ground and loaded others. Expect to find wind slabs!
Recent extreme south and southwest winds have scoured many slopes of snow and have created created wind slabs in lee areas. Avoid wind loaded unsupported terrain.
A variety of crusts with facets above and below exist at the bottom of the snowpack. These layers are going to be with us for along time and pose a low probability, high consequence situation if triggered.
Strong to extreme winds have redistributed surface snow and scoured windward aspects. Sheltered locations may still hold 15cm of soft snow if winds did not get to it. In protected areas, a weak layer of 7mm Surface Hoar may be 10-30cm down. The mid pack is mostly made up of facets. At the bottom of the snowpack there are multiple early season crusts with facets above and below.
There was one size 2 wind slab, one gully south of the Ice climb "Schism Game" on Nigel Peak observed on the 25th.
There was a size 1, and a size 2 wind slab observed on different features of Parkers ridge on December 27th.
Outside the park there have been recent reports of explosive results on the early season crusts producing avalanches up to size 2.5
There was a natural size 3 avalanche reported on the Grand Daddy Couloir on Bow Peak, in Banff National Park on December 24th.
Saturday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries.
Precipitation: Trace.
Alpine temperature: High -7 °C.
Ridge wind southwest: 10-25 km/h.
SundayA mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries.
Precipitation: Trace.
Alpine temperature: Low -10 °C, High -7 °C.
Ridge wind light to 25 km/h.
MondayA mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries.
Precipitation: Trace.
Alpine temperature: Low -14 °C, High -9 °C.
Ridge wind light to 15 km/h.
