Heavy loads (explosives) producing size 2 avalanches on the October crust. Keep on the look out for wind-slabs at your local level.
Small amounts of new snow and recent strong SW wind on Monday have created new wind-slabs in lee areas in the alpine. The wind was strong enough to move snow around at treeline but slab development was less prominent at this elevation band.
The basal facets and Oct crust have been most reactive in the Lake Louise area, but it is likely that similar pockets exist throughout the forecast area. Keep watching for weak areas at the base of the snowpack, especially in steep or convex terrain.
Light precip (7-10cm) followed by a cooling trend is expected Tuesday. Winds will also abate, however wind velocity will rise and fall from the moderate range to calm over the next few days. Clearing expected early Thursday.
Yesterday, 5-10 cm of new snow with warm temps and strong SW winds was loaded in lee areas and built cornices. 10-25 cm of settled snow sits over the Nov 8 crust. Faceting observed near the ground and Oct crust, resulting in easy test results in some areas. Treeline snow depths range from 50-80 cm, with up to 110 cm in wind loaded alpine areas.
Lake Louise ski area was reporting that explosive control was producing wind-slabs that would step down to the Oct crust producing numerous size 2 avalanches.
