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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 3rd, 2025–Apr 4th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Sunny skies will make slopes look inviting, especially on northern aspects where conditions are still good. While north slopes seem appealing this is where the greatest uncertainty lies in triggering the deeper instabilities.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Lake Louise snow safety explosive tested some lesser worked northerly alpine terrain today. Although the shot didn't release an avalanche, it remoted a slope 40 m away, causing a size 2, 60-80 cm deep.

Snowpack Summary

At upper elevations, on northerly aspects, up to 30 cm of recent snow overlies a supportive snow surface or the prominent March 27 rain crust, from last week's rain event. On southerly aspects, there are few additional crusts near the surface.

Below this, a 70 cm slab of dense snow overlies another 70 cm of weak facets. Test results continue to show weakness and propagation in this layer. This is the main event in the snowpack that should dominate decision-making.

Weather Summary

Progressively warmer with each day in the outlook.

Friday: Sunny skies, freezing levels climbing to 2100 m, light westerly wind, and alpine temperatures ~3C.

Saturday: Sunny skies and freezing levels climbing to 2300 m, light to moderate westerly wind

Sunday: Sunny and freezing levels climbing to 2500 m, light westerly wind

Monday - cloud and light flurries move back into the region.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
  • The likelihood of deep persistent slab avalanches will increase with each day of warm weather.
  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.

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.

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.