Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2026–Mar 10th, 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 possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

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

Cooling temps and clearing skies for Monday. Approach terrain cautiously and inspect the bond of the new/old snow interface.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

A road patrol along the spray had very limited visibility due to the stormy conditions.

One size 2 wind slab on Mt. invincible was observed through the clouds and pin wheeling on road side steep banks.

Snowpack Summary

15-25 cm of snow has fallen since Saturday night. This has come in very warm and has fallen on a already moist upper snowpack. below this the variety of surfaces include sun crusts on solar and hard pressed surfaces elsewhere. Strong to extreme winds continue to build wind slabs at treeline and above, the snowpack is rapidly settling.

Weather Summary

Sunday: Warm rain/snow on the spray, heavy at times. At lower elevations the temperature finally dropped below 0° at 14:00 at Mud lake weather station.

Monday: Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries. A day time high of -14 with 25-35 km/h West winds at ridge top. Freezing level back down at valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.
Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.