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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 13th, 2026–Apr 14th, 2026

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

Regions

South Rockies, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Assess for small wind slabs in the alpine. Continue to avoid thin, rocky slopes, where triggering a persistent slab is most likely.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.
  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

We haven't received recent reports of avalanches, besides small sluffs from steep and rocky slopes during warm weather.

Last week, a few persistent slab avalanches were triggered by cornice falls during warm weather. The cooling trend this week is decreasing the likelihood of triggering deeper layers, though it may remain possible in thin, rocky alpine slopes.

Please consider submitting a MIN to let us know what you're seeing out there.

Snowpack Summary

Below around 2000 m, rain will fall on an already wet snowpack. Above 2000 m, about 5 to 10 cm of snow may accumulate Monday night with strong to extreme wind. The snow will fall onto moist snow or a hard melt-freeze crust. Localized small wind slabs may form in immediate lee features in the alpine.

A weak layer of facets above a hard crust is buried 50 to 70 cm deep. This layer was likely the culprit of some large avalanches last week.

Facets exist at the base of the snowpack in shallow areas.

The snowpack continues to melt at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Cloudy. 5 to 10 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 2300 m dropping to 1800 m by morning.

Tuesday
Cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Wednesday
Cloudy. 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1500 m rising to 2000 m.

Thursday
Cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • In areas where deep persistent slabs may exist, avoid shallow or variable depth snowpacks and slopes above cliffs.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

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.

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.