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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 22nd, 2025–Feb 23rd, 2025

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

Regions

Purcells, Esplanade, Dogtooth, East Purcell, St. Mary, West Purcell.

Danger will be HIGH in areas that recieve more than 20 cm of new snow.

In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Numerous size 1 to 1.5 dry loose avalanches occurred this week.

Thursday, three persistent slabs (size 1.5 to 2.5) were observed in the alpine in various parts of the region. One was remotely triggered by a skier and the others occurred naturally.

Two recent incidents have occured outside the forecast region by Golden: This fatal avalanche incident and this incident where a skier was seriously injured. The Dangerator tool is recommended for areas with no bulletin.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 10 cm of recent storm snow has fallen across parts of the region, accompanied by moderate southwesterly winds, forming new storm slabs. An additional 10 to 25 cm is expected overnight and through Sunday, with rain at lower elevations. This accumulating snow is settling on a surface hoar or crust layer from mid-February, currenty buried 10 to 25 cm deep. Beneath that, a persistent weak layer of facets, surface hoar, or crust from late January lies 30 to 50 cm down. Deeper in the snowpack, a weak layer of facets from early December is buried 70 to 120 cm from the surface. At the base, facets or depth hoar remain present in many areas.

 

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow / possible rain below 1500 m. 35 to 45 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1900 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow / possible rain below 1500 m. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1900 m.

Monday

Partly cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow / possible rain below 1300 m. 15 to 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow / possible rain below 1500 m. 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.

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.