Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 3rd, 2026–Apr 4th, 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, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Watch for wind slabs as you get up into the alpine.

A weak layer may be buried in the upper snowpack; investigate in your area.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, numerous large (size 2) storm slabs were reported. As well as many small wet loose avalanches from slopes in the sun.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 15 cm of new snow buries a crust from strong sun on Tuesday; no new crust is expected on shaded slopes. Soft surface snow is likely to get redistributed into wind slabs in exposed areas.

A crust formed after the atmospheric river in early March is down 50 to 70 cm, and weak facets have been observed over the crust. This layer has been reactive in snowpack tests in the Crowsnest Pass.

Below this, the snowpack is generally well consolidated with facets at the base of the snowpack in shallow areas near Elkford.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday
Cloudy. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.
Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
Avoid sun-exposed slopes, especially if the snow surface is moist or wet.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.