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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2025–Mar 9th, 2025

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
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 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

North Rockies, Sugarbowl, East Kakwa, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Choose simple terrain, avoiding overhead hazards.

The deeper the new snow, the more dangerous the storm slab problem is likely to be.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Thursday there was a large (size 2) natural wind slab from extreme terrain in Kakwa. (see photo)

As the new snow piles up, avalanche activity will increase. Weak layers buried in the snowpack mean larger than expected avalanches may occur.

Snowpack Summary

The ongoing storm has so far delivered 10 to 30 cm with more on the way. Snowfall amounts vary greatly, with more in the south of the region.

Under the new storm snow is a melt-freeze crust on all aspects to 1600 m.

A weak layer of surface hoar or facets is found 20 to 50 cm down in many areas. A second weak layer buried 60 to 90 cm consists of surface hoar, facets, and/or a hard crust. These persistent layers remain a concern, with the potential for large step-down avalanches.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow. 15 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday

A mix of sun and cloud with 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
  • Travel in alpine terrain is not recommended.

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.