Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks
A brief reprieve from storm systems, but the next one on Wednesday looks warm. Enjoy the good snow for one more day, but be careful as the Halloween crust/ facet layer is spooky!
Avalanche Problem 1: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use conservative route selection, choose moderate angled and supported terrain with low consequence.
- Avoid areas with overhead hazard.
Avalanche Problem 2: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Strong SW winds on Sunday created windslabs up to 1 meter thick in exposed alpine areas. If triggered, these will likely step down to the Halloween crust/ facet layer, creating a much larger avalanche.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid freshly wind loaded features.
Avalanche Summary
Lots of avalanche activity on Monday. Some examples:
-Widespread natural activity up to size 2.5 on the National Geographics and Whitehorn gullies in the Lake Louise ski hill and backcountry
-A size 3 on a NE aspect of Pilot mountain with a ~ 500m fracture line.
Many of the avalanches initiated in the low alpine where the halloween crust exists
Snowpack Summary
30 - 70 cms of new snow over the last 5 days has been blown into windslabs up to 1 meter deep in the alpine. Where windslabs don't exist, this snow has formed a 30-60 cm slab that sits on the Halloween crust/facet interface. This interface is a crust below ~ 2400m on polar aspects and higher on solar aspects. Total snowpack at treeline is 80-100 cm
Weather Forecast
Tuesday is a rest between storms with light winds, cool temps and precip starting in the afternoon (10 cm overnight). Wednesday is looking to be quite warm with freezing levels rising to ~ 2500m and rain at lower elevations. Temps will cool on Thursday with freezing levels dropping to ~ 2000m and 20- 30 cm of snow.
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30 - 60 cms of snow from the last storm has settled into a slab that overlies the Halloween crust/ facet interface. A natural avalanche cycle occurred on this layer on Sunday and Monday with avalanches to size 3, mostly starting in the low alpine.