Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 25th, 2026–Mar 27th, 2026

Alpine

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

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

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Update 8am. Avalanche danger has increased to High in alpine areas with the new snow and moderate to strong winds over the past 24hrs. More snow is forecast to fall over the day.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain due to the timing of the incoming weather system.

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches observed over the past 24hrs.

Snowpack Summary

10cm of snow throughout Tuesday and another 10cm overnight (forecast to fall) will be overlying a widespread surface crust that is up to 35cm thick and found up to 2400m. Underneath the crust the snowpack remains moist to a depth of as much as 40cm down.

Above this elevation the recent precipitation mainly came as snow that has been moved around by recent moderate to strong winds forming windslabs in alpine areas. These slabs are up to 50cm thick and forecasters have lots of uncertainty at the underlying interface.

If snowfall amounts are higher than forecast, avalanche danger may begin to approach high by Wednesday morning. Pay close attention to localized snowfall amounts and winds.

Weather Summary

Another 5-10cm of snow is forecast overnight before the storm lets up on Wednesday morning. Winds on wednesday will be moderate to strong out of the SW and a freezing level around 1500m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.
Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.

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.