It is starting to feel like winter in most of the mountainous areas of western
Canada.
In the Rockies (Banff to Jasper) the freezing level is at treeline, with recent
storm snow of up to 10-15 cm. The wind is transporting this new snow, and
there will be some slab development. Temperatures were hovering around 0
degrees Celsius in the Columbia Icefields area over the past 24 hrs. There is
still bare ice showing low down on the Athabasca Glacier, with the wind
scraping off the 3 cm of snowfall recorded in the last 24 hrs.
No recent reports from the Bugaboos, but I suspect there is storm snow
down to at least the Kain Hut elevation.
In the Selkirks, the snowline is down to about 1300m, and as I write there are
fat snowflakes falling at Rogers Pass in Glacier Park. There is about 10 cm of
snow on the ground at treeline.
The forecast for the Rockies and Selkirks is clearing skies on Friday night,
with sub-zero temperatures in the mornings, and warming in the afternoon with
some sunshine. Conditions will change rapidly with the solar radiation after
this storm period, and there may be a solar induced avalanche cycle this
weekend if the forecast is correct.
Start to think like winter, watch your exposure to open lee slopes and gully
features that may have a significant amount of windloading.
Watch for thinly bridged and hidden crevasses if you venture out onto the
glaciers this weekend.
It is shaping up to be a beautiful weekend in the mountains, with a combination
of fresh snow, Fall colors, and sunny weather. Have fun and bring a camera!
Jordy Shepherd
Mountain Guide
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