Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 24th, 2026–Feb 25th, 2026

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 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Dogtooth, East Purcell.

Strong west wind may form reactive wind slabs in open terrain.

At treeline and below, persistent slabs sitting on a weak layer of surface hoar are possible to human trigger.

Confidence

Moderate

Persistent slabs could become more likely with the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, a naturally triggered size 2.5 wind slab was reported on a north aspect in the alpine.

Additionally, several naturally triggered persistent slabs up to size 1.5 were reported near Golden. They were failing on a layer of surface hoar down 30 to 40 cm and occurred on primarily north and east aspects below 1900 m.

Snowpack Summary

10 to 20 cm of recent snow accompanied by strong southwest wind has formed deeper deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain it will overlie a variety of surfaces including surface hoar, facets, and a sun crust.

There are 2 prominent weak layers in the upper snowpack

A surface hoar/crust layer buried early to mid-February is down 15 to 30 cm.
A facet/crust layer buried at the end of January is down roughly 20 to 40 cm.

Below this, the mid and lower snowpack are well settled with several crust layers.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Strong wind is building wind slabs farther downslope than usual.
Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.

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.