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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2025–Apr 3rd, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Rockies, Akamina, Bull, Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

8 am update: More snow fell overnight than expected.

Fresh storm and wind slabs may be reactive today. Assess local conditions as you travel and watch for signs of instability in the new snow.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Small, natural and skier triggered wet and dry loose avalanches continue to be reported in the region.

Snowpack Summary

By mid day on Thursday up to 15 cm of new snow could have accumulated with moderate southwest wind. This new snow will overlie a crust, except on high north facing terrain, Where up to 40 cm overlies the late March crust. Below these crusts, the upper snowpack is moist.

A weak layer of facets from late January can still be found down around 1 meter. This layer remains a concern on high north facing terrain where the late March layer isn't present.

The snowpack is quickly disappearing below treeline. Check out this MIN from our field team.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Cloudy in the morning with 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Friday

Sunny. 10 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind . Freezing level rising to 1800 m.

Saturday

Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising to 2400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.

Problems

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.

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.