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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 22nd, 2026–Feb 23rd, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, South Rockies, Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

6:15 AM Update:
New snow and strong winds are building reactive slabs.
Carefully assess conditions as you travel.
Areas that receive less than 15 cm of new snow may only have MODERATE danger.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, there were several large (size 2) explosive triggered storm slabs on south to southeast alpine terrain.

On Thursday, several persistent slabs were remotely triggered above Sparwood. Also, there were a few large avalanches triggered with explosives near Castle.

Snowpack Summary

By Monday afternoon up to 15 cm of fresh snow is expected. This new snow will be accompanied by strong to extreme southwest wind forming deeper deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain it could overlie a layer of surface hoar or a sun crust.

Several weak layers comprised of facets, surface hoar, or crusts could exist in the top 20 to 60 cm of the snowpack.

The mid and lower snowpack are well settled.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 1 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Strong wind is building wind slabs farther downslope than usual.
  • In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.
  • Avoid terrain traps such as gullies and cliffs where the consequence of any avalanche could be serious.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.

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.