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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 25th, 2025–Feb 26th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Watch for rapidly changing conditions as you shift aspect and elevations.

Strong sunshine may produce natural avalanches, and wind affected slopes likely remain reactive.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity was reported to size 2 on Monday, from explosive triggers on east/southeast facing slopes. Avalanches occurred within the storm snow and on the buried weak layer from late January.

During the weekend's storm natural avalanche activity was observed to size 3.

While natural activity has tapered we expect human triggering to continue. Strong sunshine may increase the reactivity of wind and persistent slabs.

Snowpack Summary

Recent snowfall has settled to around 30 cm of new snow with strong southwest winds redistributing snow into deeper deposits at treeline and above.

Strong sunshine is expected to create moist snow on sun affected slopes on Wednesday. Moist snow is also present at low elevations from recent warm temperatures and rain.

A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets from late January is buried 40 to 60 cm deep (see photo below). This layer is expected to remain reactive with the warmer temperatures and new snow/ rain. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled.

Check out this MIN for recent conditions near Coleman.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy with isolated flurries. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 1500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly clear skies with 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Freezing levels rise to 2000 m, treeline temperatures of +1 °C.

Thursday

Clear skies with 50 to 70 km/h west ridgetop wind, gusting near 90 km/h. Freezing levels rise to 2100 m, treeline temperatures of +2 °C.

Friday

Clear skies with 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Freezing levels rise to 2300 m, treeline temperatures of +4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.
  • Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.
  • Travel early on sun-exposed slopes before cornices weaken with daytime warming.

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.