Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2026–Mar 30th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

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.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw.

Wind slabs and persistent slabs remain possible to trigger.

The best & safest riding is in shady, wind-sheltered areas in the trees.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

Over the last several days, a few natural and several skier-triggered wind and storm slabs up to size 2 occurred. This recent MIN describes unstable conditions near Rupert.

On Friday, explosives triggered a size 2.5 persistent slab out of a north-facing treeline feature.

A fatal avalanche accident that failed on a deeply buried persistent weak layer occurred on March 22. More details here.

Snowpack Summary

Strong winds from variable directions left slabs and pressed surfaces in open and exposed terrain at upper elevations. Sun-affected slopes likely have a new crust on the surface.

2 to 10 cm of new snow is in the forecast for Monday. This will add to the 20 to 60 cm of older settling storm snow, which sits on a crust on most aspects, and hard wind-pressed surfaces on shaded alpine slopes.

Several persistent weak layers of crust/facets or surface hoar are buried up to 250 cm deep in the snowpack. While triggering these layers is trending toward unlikely, they present a low-probability, high-consequence problem.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy. 0 to 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.
Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.