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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 21st, 2025–Mar 22nd, 2025

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

Regions

North Columbia, South Columbia, Esplanade, Jordan, North Selkirk, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold.

Avoid complex and wind-loaded terrain.

Storm slabs may need another day or two to stabilize and bond.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Storm slab activity in the size 1-2 range was consistently reported at upper elevations across the region on Thursday. In recent days, a few isolated larger persistent slabs, up to size 2.5, have also been observed.

With more snow and wind in the forecast, we expect this trend to continue into Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 50 cm of recent snow has formed widespread storm slabs. These slabs are expected to be thickest and most reactive on wind-loaded north and east-facing slopes.

Three persistent weak layers consisting of surface hoar, facets, or a crust may be found in the upper to mid-snowpack:

  • The early March layer buried 50 - 100 cm. This is the primary weak layer of concern.

  • The mid-February layer buried 90 - 170 cm.

  • The late January layer buried 100 - 200 cm.

The lingering concern for the Feb and Jan weak layers is in shallow or rocky areas, otherwise, these are unlikely to trigger.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Mostly cloudy with 2 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 15 to 30 km/h west ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 2 to 10 cm of snow. 25 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.

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.