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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2026–Mar 29th, 2026

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

Regions

Dogtooth, East Purcell.

Seek out areas of sheltered powder for the best quality, safest skiing and riding. Wind loaded features may still react to human triggers, and especially to heavier triggers like cornices.

Confidence

High

  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, explosives control north of the Bugaboos produced three persistent slabs, size 2 to 3.5, the largest of which propagated widely and ran full path. It wasn't possible to positively identify their failure planes.

A size 2 cornice and size 2 storm slab were among the explosives results, all of which occurred at 2600 m or higher. A few small explosives triggered and natural wind slabs occurred east of Invermere.

If you are heading into the backcountry, post a MIN!

Snowpack Summary

Light flurries are slowly adding to 20 to 35 cm of recent snow, which was affected by moderate to strong southwest wind and has in some areas formed slabs on lee aspects.

Where sheltered, the recent snow is settling and bonding well to a thick crust found on all aspects up to at least 2200 m.

Various persistent weak layers may still exist in the top 150 cm of the snowpack. Triggering very large persistent slabs on these layers may be possible at upper elevations where the crust below the recent snow is thin or absent. Large triggers, like falling cornices, are the most likely to trigger these weak layers.

In shallow snowpack areas, depth hoar (large facets) can be found near the bottom of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy with scattered flurries bringing 2 to 5 cm of new snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries and up to 3 cm of new snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing late afternoon. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday
A mix of sun and cloud with overnight flurries easing with up to 5 total cm of new snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Tuesday
Mainly sunny. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.
  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.