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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 9th, 2026–Mar 10th, 2026

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

Regions

South Rockies, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Uncertainty remains around persistent weak layers.

Avalanches are unlikely where a supportive crust exists—stick to simple terrain where it thins or disappears.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.
  • We are uncertain due to the variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

Warm temperatures, snow/rain and strong winds produced a natural cycle of size 2-3 avalanches over the weekend.

On Sunday numerous wind slabs were human triggered in the north of the region. Check out this Gorman MIN for more details.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of snow has fallen in the north of the region, tapering to 5–15 cm elsewhere. Strong west winds have redistributed this snow at higher elevations.

Rain has formed a supportive crust to 1500 m near Golden, rising to 2200 m further south. Where this crust is absent or unsupportive, concern remains for a persistent weak layer of surface hoar or crust buried 50–70 cm deep, and up to 100 cm in deeper snowpacks such as the Dogtooth Range.

The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled. In shallow snowpack areas, large facets or depth hoar exist near the ground.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Partly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.

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.

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.