Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 17th, 2026–Mar 18th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Fluctuating freezing levels, warm temperatures, extreme wind, and mixed precipitation are affecting the snowpack.

Verify conditions. Human-triggered avalanches are possible.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.
  • We are uncertain due to variable freezing levels.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, a few small wind slabs were reported at treeline, triggered by riders.

Snowpack Summary

Rising freezing levels and mixed precipitation will soften surface snow up to roughly 2000 m. Above this, dry snow is wind pressed with small wind slabs forming from new snow being redistributed by strong wind.

A crust layer can be found down 30 to 50 cm on lee features and on the surface in windward terrain.

Below this, the mid and lower snowpack are generally well consolidated with early season crusts deep in the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 3 to 5 mm of rain at treeline. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Wednesday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 mm of rain at treeline. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 10 mm of rain at treeline. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 mm of rain at treeline. 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.