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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 4th, 2026–Mar 5th, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Dogtooth, East Purcell.

A reactive persistent weak layer remains the primary concern for the region - especially around treeline

Stick to low-angle slopes and avoid exposing yourself to steep terrain from above

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

Tuesday
A skier remotely triggered a size 1.5 persistent slab at treeline from 50 m away. Several wet loose sluffs up to size 2 were also observed.

Monday
A size 2 natural cornice failure occurred.

Sunday
Numerous natural, explosive, and rider-triggered avalanches were observed, including a size 2.5 avalanche triggered from 3 m away.

Looking forward
Natural avalanches are unlikely, but riders triggering slabs remains possible to likely.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 cm of new snow fell on Wednesday and may have formed small new wind slabs in lee areas near ridgetops. The recent snow is covering previously wind-affected surfaces. Solar-facing slopes and lower elevations have a surface crust.

A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or crust is buried 40 to 60 cm, with deeper areas like the Dogtooth Range reporting this layer up to 100 cm deep. Recent persistent slab avalanches have failed on this layer, many triggered in sheltered openings at treeline and below.

The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled. In shallow snowpack areas, large facets or depth hoar are present at the bottom of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 3 mm of rain at treeline. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

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.

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.