Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 28th, 2026–Mar 1st, 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

Northwest Inland, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Howson.

Stick to conservative, low consequence slopes free from overhead hazard

Human triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanches are possible during active wind loading

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred to size 2.5, primarily from north and east facing slopes at treeline and above.

Several avalanches failed on the mid-February surface hoar layer. Notably, a vehicle remotely triggered a size 2 avalanche on Thursday from 5 m away, and a rider remotely triggered a size 1.5 on Friday from 100 m away. Both occurred on northwest-facing slopes at treeline and below. These highlight a snowpack that remains very sensitive to human triggers.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm totals are 50 to 80 cm in most areas with up to 120 cm on the immediate coast. This new snow was accompanied by strong to extreme southwest wind, forming deeper deposits on north and east facing terrain. In sheltered terrain this new snow could overlie surface hoar or a sun crust.

Several weak layers of crust, surface hoar or facets are buried 100 to 200 cm deep. These layers are most concerning in sheltered treeline features. Below, the remaining snowpack is generally well settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Sunday
Cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

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.