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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 2nd, 2025–Mar 3rd, 2025

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, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Dry snow may remain in high elevation northerly terrain however, this is also where triggering weak layers is most likely. Use caution in these areas and practice good travel habits.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, several loose wet avalanches were reported east of McBride up to size 1.5.

Last week, several natural and rider-triggered wind slab and persistent slab avalanches were reported, up to size 2.5. These avalanches have mainly occurred in north-to-east facing alpine and treeline terrain.

Natural avalanche activity is expected to taper off on Monday as temperatures cool; however, human triggering potential will persist.

Read more in our Forecasters' Blog.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 20 cm of snow has been redistributed by strong southwest winds building stiff wind slabs in the alpine and treeline. The new snow was wet or fell as rain in many areas, creating a moist surface or crust.

A weak layer of surface hoar or facets is found 20 to 50 cm down in many areas. A second weak layer is found down 60 to 90 cm. This consists of surface hoar/facets and/or a hard crust. These persistent layers continue to be a concern and have the potential for large step-down avalanches.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level drops to valley bottom.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Tuesday

Mainly clear skies. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
  • Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.