Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 9th, 2026–Mar 10th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

Give the recent storm snow and freshly formed wind slabs time to settle and bond before venturing into larger features. Despite the strong winds, good skiing can still be found in sheltered areas.

Confidence

Moderate

We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

On March 8th, two size 2.5 wind slab avalanches were observed in the Churchill range, one size 2.5 slab avalanche was observed near Pyramid, and several size 1.5 wind slab avalanches were observed in the Icefields area. Marmot Basin staff reported observing several slab avalanches in the backcountry, with at least one being up to size 3.

On March 5th, a size 3.5 persistent slab avalanche was observed on Mount Morden Long in the Chuchill Range.

Snowpack Summary

Strong to extreme winds out of the S to N have created widespread wind-effect, scoured fetches, and formed wind slabs. A persistent weak layer of surface hoar and facets from January 24th is down 20-80 cm. There have been a number of natural avalanches that have failed on this layer in the past week. Below, the snowpack is generally well consolidated facets to ground. Icefields snow depths range from 130-200 cm and snow depth in the Maligne area ranges from 60-140 cm.

Weather Summary

Tuesday

Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries.

Precipitation: Trace.

Alpine temperature: High -13 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 15 km/h gusting to 40 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Wednesday

Cloudy with scattered flurries.

Accumulation: 5 cm.

Alpine temperature: Low -14 °C, High -13 °C.

Ridge wind southwest: 15 km/h gusting to 50 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Thursday

Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries.

Accumulation: 5 cm.

Alpine temperature: Low -16 °C, High -11 °C.

Ridge wind west: 15 km/h gusting to 50 km/h.

Freezing level at valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.

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.

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.