Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Mar 29 – 30, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 6 months ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

Wind slabs and persistent slabs remain possible to trigger.

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

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Wind slabs may be triggerable on on a variety of aspects at upper elevations. Up to 10 cm of new snow on Monday may be forming fresh slabs. Seek out soft non-wind affected snow for the best and safest riding.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3.5

    Persistent weak layers of crust/facets or surface hoar are buried in the upper 250 cm of the snowpack. Signs of instability may not be evident, and the only defence is choosing smaller, low-consequence terrain.

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.

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