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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 15th, 2025–Apr 16th, 2025

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

Regions

Purcells, South Rockies, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Bull, Elkford West.

Persistent slab avalanches remain possible on north-facing alpine slopes, particularly where the snowpack is thin and rocky.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

It's been several days since any avalanche activity was reported. The last known event was a sledder-triggered slab on Friday east of Wasa (see photo).

Snowpack Summary

About 5 cm of recent snow sits above a hard melt-freeze crust on northerly alpine slopes. Elsewhere, a thick crust caps the surface. This crust will likely soften during the day and refreeze overnight.

The bottom half of the snowpack is generally weak and faceted

Lower elevations are melting rapidly.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Partly cloudy. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level drops from 2500 to 1500 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy with 0 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday

Sunny. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Friday

Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +1 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

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.