Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2026–Mar 29th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Regions

Haines Pass, Chilkat Pass.

A dangerous, persistent weak layer remains the primary concern in the alpine

Watch Conditions Update Here

Conservative terrain choices are recommended

Confidence

Moderate

We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

Friday & Saturday

Several naturally triggered size 1-2.5 slabs were observed on east through south aspects, at 1400 m and below.

Wednesday,

The field team saw both natural and rider-triggered slabs, see photos below.

Tuesday

Multiple widely propagating natural avalanches were observed, and a cornice was remotely triggered by sledders. More in this MIN.

Last Sunday

A very large avalanche resulted in a fatality near Mt.McDonell. More info here.

Snowpack Summary

At ridgeline and exposed terrain, strong outflow winds have left slabs and hard wind-pressed surfaces. Soft snow can still be found in wind-sheltered areas.

A notable layer of facets and a crust is buried 80 to 150+ cm and extends up to around 1400 m. It continues to show reactivity in snowpack tests and recent avalanches have failed on it. With the depth of this layer, the greatest concern for triggering is in shallow, thin to thick snowpack areas or from a large trigger, such as a cornice fall. It also appears to be most reactive in areas closest to the coast with diminished reactivity further inland.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Clear skies. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Sunday
Mostly sunny. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
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.

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.