Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 27th, 2026–Feb 28th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

Improved skiing conditions may be tempting but new snow and wind have built a slab over a persistent weak layer. Avoid wind-loaded terrain and make careful assessments.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

Visibility remained poor along the Icefields Parkway, but observations confirmed a continued natural avalanche cycle driven by new precipitation and strong winds.

Avalanche control at Parkers produced several persistent slab results up to size 3, with the majority of loading occurring much lower on the slopes.

Snowpack Summary

15–30 cm of new snow (with the higher amounts around the icefields) has been redistributed by strong winds, building wind slab over various old hard surfaces and a patchy surface hoar layer below treeline. This new snow has added load to a late January weak layer of facets and spotty surface hoar buried 30–60 cm deep, forming a persistent slab. The mid-pack is generally dense and well consolidated, with basal facets present in thinner snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Cold and clear to start on Saturday with sunny skies, no precipitation, light ridge winds, and alpine highs near -11°C. Sunday stays dry with sun and cloud, warming to -6°C with freezing levels rising to 1600 m. Monday brings ~6 cm of snow, alpine highs near -3°C, light winds gusting to 30 km/h, and freezing levels back to valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

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.