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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 4th, 2025–Mar 5th, 2025

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

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Small amounts of new snow combined with moderate westerly winds on Wednesday may form small wind slabs. While not listed as a problem, be mindful of fresh wind slabs developing at the local level.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

The Parks Canada field team observed loose dry avalanches in the Surprise Pass area up to size 1 out of extreme terrain, some running far on shaded aspects. Sunshine patrol reported one small windslab about 20cm deep outside of the boundary.

Snowpack Summary

There's 10 cm of storm snow sitting on the March 2 crust, which rests on a cohesive slab. Below that are the February 22 and January 30 weak layers, followed by a faceted mid-pack and basal facets at the bottom. The snowpack is structurally weak, even when it seems stable—don’t overthink it. Focus on terrain choice and group management.

Weather Summary

Expect 3 to 5 cm of snow early Wednesday, with cloudy conditions throughout the period. Temperatures will remain seasonal, staying just below zero in the valley and dropping to -10°C or colder at the ridge, with the freezing level expected to stay below the surface. Moderate westerly winds overnight will ease to light by midday.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.

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.