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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2025–Apr 5th, 2025

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

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Flathead, Lizard.

Another warm-up brings rising freezing levels and sunny conditions.

Expect increasing avalanche activity within the recent storm snow.

Take time to read the new forecasters' blog.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday, wet and dry loose avalanches were skier-triggered in the region. These avalanches have occurred in steep terrain on a variety of aspects and elevations. Explosive controls triggered numerous storm slabs (size 1) around Fernie.

Expect increasing avalanche activity within the recent snow with the forecasted warm weather.

Snowpack Summary

A diurnal melt-freeze cycle occurred over the past days. The surface is either moist or capped with a thin crust on all aspects and elevations except for high northerly slopes where up to 15 cm overlies a thick and supportive crust from late March. Below these crusts, the upper snowpack is moist.

The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Clear. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level returning to valley bottom.

Saturday

Sunny. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4 °C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.

Sunday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +6 °C. Freezing level around 3000 m.

Monday

Mix of sun and clouds. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4 °C. Freezing level around 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.

Problems

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.