Week in Review for Friday, March 20th - Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Summary: Historically warm temperatures continue, with temperatures more akin to late May or early June. The Special Avalanche Bulletin, issued the previous Thursday, extended through Sunday night in order to warn the public of dangerous wet avalanche conditions. The last best refreeze was with the sharp (but dry) cold front Saturday night, March 14. Since then, few areas have experienced a good, much less marginal refreeze…and these refreezes were fleeting, if at all. Cloud cover and the radiation balance are the prime indicators in this regard over the week. The danger oscillates between CONSIDERABLE and MODERATE as wet loose, wet slab, and glide avalanches remain the main avalanche problems. Forecasters feel uneasy about forecasting the timing and extent of wet slabs….
Friday, March 20: The danger remains at CONSIDERABLE. Fairly quiet in the backcountry. In upper BCC, ski areas triggered large wet slabs with Wyssen towers on steep northeast-facing slopes.
Saturday, March 21: A large natural glide avalanche peeled out of the Ivory Flakes (Hamlin pic) in Cardiff Fork. No one could remember seeing an avalanche of that size in that terrain before.
Sunday, March 22: The overall danger remains pegged at CONSIDERABLE. Ski areas continue to close terrain, not just for avalanche danger but also for poor skiing and riding conditions. Aggressive avalanche control work along the PC ridgeline results in wet slabs up to 2-4’ deep and 200’ wide.
Monday, March 23: Fairly quiet in the backcountry. The danger drops to MODERATE.
Tuesday, March 24: The overall danger remains at MODERATE. More notable wet loose sluffs (White Pine - Mark White photo) and wet slabs (Cardiff-Alta Avalanche office photo) naturally release. Some skier-triggered wet loose sluffs on west-facing aspects in the afternoon gouge down into older layers, leaving impressive debris piles.
Wednesday, March 25: Overnight low temps are 4-6 degrees warmer than the night before, and daytime highs reach the mid-60s with Spruces in mid-BCC notching 69°F by mid-afternoon. We elevate the danger to CONSIDERABLE around the compass. By mid-afternoon, a wet loose sluff triggers a wet slab avalanche in a high-optic area on a northeast-facing aspect at 10,100’. (Alta Avalanche Office) Riding conditions are best described as loose, unconsolidated gloppy mank.
Thursday, March 26: With cooler temperatures in store, the danger drops slightly to MODERATE. No significant reports of avalanches.
