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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 12th, 2026–Mar 13th, 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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Persistent slabs have become unlikely to trigger but there is enough of a wind slab problem out there to keep you on your toes. Sticking to sheltered powder is the way to go.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

Wind slabs formed with 20 cm of new snow were touchy to human triggering on north through west aspects in the alpine on Tuesday in the MacGregors, producing releases to size 2. Continuing wind loading kept the same pattern active on Wednesday. Observations elsewhere have been limited.

During the storm on the weekend, a widespread natural avalanche cycle occurred, with wind slabs to size 3.5 on north to east aspects at upper elevations and loose wet up to size 2 below treeline.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 30 cm of snow since March 7 overlies wind-affected old surfaces in the alpine and a crust that extends to ridgetop. Wind slab formation from easterly winds occurred with the earlier storm accumulations, now buried. The crust becomes supportive at lower elevations and is 5 cm thick below 1400 m. The thicker it is, the more effectively it caps deeper layers.

Another crust with faceted snow above, buried at treeline and below in February, is found around 100 to 160 cm deep. It's becoming well bonded to the surrounding snow and at lower elevations will be capped by more recent crust. Warming will test it again next week.

The remainder of the snowpack is well consolidated with no other layers of concern.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy with isolated flurries. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, up to 5 cm of new snow, including the overnight. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.

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.