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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2025–Mar 6th, 2025

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

Regions

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

Skies will clear Thursday. The more solar input and warming that occurs, the more the hazard will increase.

Avoid areas with a shallow snowpack.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, a road patrol observed evidence of numerous avalanches up to size 2.5 that occurred this past weekend on westerly aspects in the alpine and at treeline, on the east side highway 93N, most of which were persistent slab avalanches in shallow snowpack areas.

No other avalanches were observed or reported Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

There's 10-20 cm of settling storm snow sitting on the March 2 crust, which rests on a cohesive slab. Below that are the February 22 and January 30 weak layers, followed by a faceted mid-pack and basal facets at the bottom. The snowpack is variable depending on location, and is structurally weak, even when it seems stable—don’t overthink it. Focus on terrain choice and group management.

Weather Summary

Wednesday night: Cloudy with clear periods. Alpine temperature: Low -9 °C. Ridge wind light to 20 km/h.

Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud. Alpine temperature: High -4 °C. Light ridge wind. Freezing level: 1800 metres.

Friday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Alpine temperature: Low -12 °C, High -5 °C. Ridge wind west: 10-20 km/h. Freezing level: 1700 metres.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.

Problems

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.

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.