Archived Avalanche Bulletin - Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks
Issued Mon Jan 04, 2016 17:00
Valid Until Tue Jan 05, 2016 17:00

Good ski conditions can still be found in sheltered areas. Watch for wind slabs in the higher alpine 
and wind prone areas

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       Public Avalanche Forecast   
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Danger Ratings: Tuesday

alpine, treeline, below treeline: 1 - Low
1 - Low Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.
Confidence: High

Problem 1: Wind Slabs

Which Elevation? alpine
Which Slopes? north, east, northeast
Chance of Avalanches? unlikely - possible
Expected Size? small - small

Isolated wind slabs exist in alpine areas. Yesterday, forecasters triggered a small 0.5 windslab at 
the back of Chickadee Valley near Chimney peak. These should be easy to spot, so heads up in steep 
wind effected terrain.

Travel and Terrain Advice

    Use caution in lee areas. Recent wind loading has created wind slabs.

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       Forecast Details   
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Weather Forecast

Increased cloudiness and minimal snowfall amounts are expected Tues through Thurs. Starting Thursday, 
we may see ~ 5 cm of new snow, but we'll wait and see if that materializes. Winds will be light from 
the S/SW. Temperatures shouldn't be inverted and in the -5 to -15 range. 

Snowpack Discussion

Overall, the snowpack is well settled with few weaknesses. Sun crusts exist on steep S/SW aspects 
and large surface hoar is forming below 2000m. Isolated wind slabs exist in the alpine. Below 2000m, 
the Dec 3 layer of surface hoar and facets remains visible down 20-50 cm but is currently dormant. 
Thin areas are faceting out and weakening.

Avalanche Activity Discussion

No new avalanches observed today