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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2025–Mar 30th, 2025

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

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

Ski quality has gone way up with the new snow, however, the persistent layer of weak facets from Jan has not changed much and continues to be a major concern. There is also potential for an increase in hazard with solar heating on Sunday.

Enjoy the fresh snow but continue to approach any steep terrain with caution.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Visibility has been limited for a couple of days, but natural avalanche activity has slowed down due to cooling temperatures and light winds.

Local ski hills reported triggering small storm slabs up to size 1.5 with ski cutting and explosives. Loose-dry avalanches have been reported in steep gullies and on steep faces.

Large whumpfs on the weak Jan/Feb facets continue to be reported and this layer remains a major concern in many areas of the forecast region.

Snowpack Summary

15-35 cm of storm snow over the past two days with the most in the Banff/Kootenay areas of the forecast region. This new snow overlies rain and temperature crusts up to ~2500 m.

A 50-100+ cm dense slab now sits over a persistent weak layer of facets from Jan/Feb.

In Eastern areas with a thinner snowpack, these weak facets and depth hoar extend to the ground. In thicker snowpack regions west of the divide, the facet layer is not as pronounced and the lower snowpack is more settled.

Weather Summary

Saturday night: Cloudy with light flurries and a few cm's of new snow.

Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud. Nil to trace amounts of precipitation. Alpine temps: Low -9 °C, High -1 °C. Ridge wind light from the S/SE around 15 km/h. Freezing level: 2100 m. Possible alpine temperature inversion.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Uncertainty is best managed through conservative terrain choices.
  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
  • Give the new snow several days to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
  • Avoid terrain traps such as gullies and cliffs where the consequence of any avalanche could be serious.

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.

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.