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

Feb 25th, 2024–Feb 26th, 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 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

North Rockies, Sugarbowl, East Kakwa, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Riders could trigger large avalanches due to a buried weak layer at a critical depth.

Avoid large slopes and look for signs of instability like shooting cracks and recent avalanches.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Field observations are very limited, but no new avalanches have been reported at the time of publishing.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 50 cm of new snow sits on a variety of layers including surface hoar, facets, and a crust on south and west-facing slopes.

The widespread crust buried in early February is down 50 to 70 cm. This crust may have a layer of facets above it.

The remainder of the snowpack is settled and not concerning.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 25 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -22 °c.

Monday

Partly cloudy. 25 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -23 °c.

Tuesday

Mostly clear skies. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -25 °c.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 15 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °c.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • Give the new snow time to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
  • Use conservative route selection and resist venturing out into complex terrain.

Problems

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.

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.