Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 2nd, 2026–Mar 4th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Field teams today changed plans due to intense snow transport loading overhead terrain. Powder skiing was found in sheltered West facing tree's at treeline and below. Suspect wind slab to be prime for human triggering with the intense snow transport and warm temps.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

1 small new wind slab avalanche on a east aspect below a cliff by ranger creek, otherwise no new avalanche observed.

Snowpack Summary

Surface snow at valley bottom and up to 1900m turned moist today and will have a fresh sun crust. Suspect solar aspects to have a fresh suncrust to a higher elevation.

Lots of wind transport today. All open areas at treeline and alpine have wind slabs. These look plump and likely triggerable in steep convex terrain. Cornices have also grown with the wind and warmer afternoon temperatures. With slab growth, the Feb 14th layer is now down 60-80cm, and maybe up to 100cm in wind loaded areas. Despite the wind, below tree line areas, or very sheltered treeline areas have nice settled powder snow offering good skiing/riding.

Weather Summary

Monday was warmer than expected and the spray road saw a high temp of +5.

Tuesday: Will start with minimal clouds and gradually get cloudier throughout the day when weather pushes in again. A day time high of -1

Snow will begin mid afternoon with amounts totaling 10cm by Wednesday morning.

The winds will continue to blow well past 80km/h and reach 100km/h from mostly the west..

Freezing levels may rise beyond 1900m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.

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.