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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 26th, 2026–Mar 27th, 2026

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

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

Wind slabs remain possible to trigger, especially on steep slopes below ridgetops.

Triggering large persistent slabs may be possible in areas without a thick crust above the weak layer.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, numerous skier triggered wind slabs up to size 1.5 were reported on primarily north and east aspects at treeline and above.

Last week's rain and warm temperatures triggered a widespread natural slab avalanche cycle up to size 3.5.

If you are heading into the backcountry, please consider sharing conditions via the MIN.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 35 cm of recent snow and strong southwest winds formed wind slabs on lee aspects at upper elevations. These slabs are most likely to be reactive on steep slopes below ridgetops.

The recent snow sits on a crust on solar aspects and dry snow on northerly aspects at upper elevations.

Below this, 40 to 70 cm of moist snow sits above a crust (1 to 10 cm thick). Various persistent weak layers may still exist in the top 120 cm of the snowpack. These may remain possible to trigger at upper elevations in areas where the crust above the weak layer is not supportive.

In shallow snowpack areas, depth hoar (large facets) can be found near the bottom of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Mostly clear skies. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday
Sunny. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Saturday
Sunny. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °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.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.
  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.

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.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.