Avalanche forecast

North Rockies

Feb 25 – 26, 2024Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

New snow and wind are raising the avalanche danger.

Dial back terrain choices as the storm slab builds over buried weak layers.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    2–3

    The crust that was buried in early February has weak, sugary facets or surface hoar on top of it making it a bad weak layer.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2.5

    Wind and new snow have formed storm slabs and they continue to get deeper. These slabs will be most reactive where they sit on surface hoar, facets, or a crust.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Field observations are very limited, but no new slab avalanches have been reported. Only small loose dry from extreme terrain.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of snow fell Friday/Saturday with more on the way. This buried a variety of layers including surface hoar, facets, and a crust on south and west-facing slopes.

The widespread crust buried in early February is down 5 to 40 cm. This crust may have a layer of facets above it.

The remainder of the snowpack is settled and not concerning.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow. 25 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °c.

Sunday

Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h south ridgetop wind switching to north in the afternoon. Treeline temperature -7 °c.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -23 °c.

Tuesday

Mostly clear skies. 15 to 25 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °c.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.

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