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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 6th, 2024–Mar 7th, 2024

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

Regions

Purcells, Dogtooth, East Purcell.

⚠️Dangerous avalanche conditions⚠️

Stick to low-angle terrain and be mindful of overhead hazard. Large human-triggered and remote-triggered avalanches remain likely.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

Natural, human, and explosive-triggered avalanches up to size 3 continue to be reported daily throughout the region since early last week. Many of the reported avalanches have been remote-triggered.

This MIN report from the weekend details a remotely triggered avalanche near the Gorman Lake area that is characteristic of reports throughout the province (photo below).

While natural activity has tapered off, human triggering remains a serious concern.

Snowpack Summary

The upper snowpack is mostly low density snow with wind-affected and sun-affected snow in some areas. A widespread crust that formed in early February is roughly 100 to 120 cm deep. Weak faceted crystals and surface hoar above this crust are contributing to many concerning avalanches across the province. The lower snowpack is mostly weak and faceted.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear skies. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

Thursday

Sunny. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud. 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with 1 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Conservative terrain selection is critical, choose only well supported, low consequence lines.
  • Remote triggering is a concern, watch out for adjacent and overhead slopes.
  • Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to the presence of deeply buried weak layers.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.