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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 16th, 2025–Apr 17th, 2025

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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Purcells, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Bull.

Persistent slab avalanches remain possible on north-facing alpine slopes, especially if triggered by a cornice fall.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche activity has been limited to cornice falls (mostly size 2) and a few wet loose avalanches. The only notable persistent slab avalanche in the past two weeks occurred on Apr 11, triggered by riders east of Wasa. Under current conditions, the most likely place for a large avalanche is a cornice falling on a north-facing alpine slope.

Snowpack Summary

About 5 cm of recent snow sits above a hard melt-freeze crust on northerly alpine slopes. Elsewhere, a thick crust caps the surface. This crust will likely soften during the day and refreeze overnight.

The bottom half of the snowpack is generally weak and faceted.

Lower elevations are melting rapidly.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Thursday

Mostly sunny. 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday

Sunny. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.