Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 4th, 2025–Mar 5th, 2025

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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

The fresh snow on the way should improve riding conditions. Frequently dig down to the persistent slab and evaluate conditions before committing to any steeper terrain. This problem will be with us for some time, and human triggering is possible.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed or reported today.

Snowpack Summary

Between 2 and 20cm has fallen in the past 48hrs, with the average being about 8cm at treeline elevations. The main concern right now is the persistent slab 15-30cm thick that is resting on the Jan 30 interface made of facets, sun crust or another dense layer. The mid and lower snowpack is primarily facets. Natural avalanche activity has tapered, but human triggering remains possible, due to the dense slab overlying a lot of weak facets. Forecasters have little confidence in the snowpack. Travelling at lower elevations involves ski penetration to ground if you leave any established trail.

Weather Summary

Light flurries will begin overnight on Tuesday and extend through the day on Wednesday. Between 5 and 10cm are possible by Wednesday afternoon. Winds will be light from the West with temperatures near -5C.

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.
Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.