Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 18th, 2026–Apr 22nd, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Regions

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

There will be rising freezing levels and less of an overnight freeze the next few days. Start and end your day early. This will be the first significant warming to test overall stability. Expect natural activity to increase and cornices to fall.

Confidence

High

We are uncertain due to rapidly changing freezing levels.

Avalanche Summary

Saturday's Icefield team noted one size 2.5 on Mt Cirrus, West aspect, at 2800m plus one size 3 on Mt Amery, East aspect, cornice triggered. Both are 24 to 48 hours old. No patrol on Friday. Thursday noted a size 2 below the Athabasca - Silverhorn. Wednesday noted a size 2 in the Endless Chain area. Both of these were 48 hour old.

Snowpack Summary

Fifteen centimeters of soft snow is on high North aspects. It is moist most other locations and settling on a variety of melt forms on solar slopes and lower elevations. Below 2300m, melt-freeze crusts are layered within the snowpack. The January 24th facet-crust-surface hoar layer is buried 80–120 cm deep. The lower snowpack is well consolidated where deep and considered weak and faceted where shallow.

Weather Summary

Expect Sunday to be sun with clouds, 3 °C, light gusting moderate West winds, and 2600 metres freezing level. Monday and Tuesday will be similar, maybe isolated showers, and slightly warmer temperatures and higher freezing level. There is a good chance of no overnight freeze. Flurries or rain could occur on Wednesday.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid sun-exposed slopes, especially if the snow surface is moist or wet.
Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.