Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 28th, 2026–Mar 29th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Lingering wind slabs and persistent slabs remain possible to trigger.

Watch Conditions Update Here

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 past few days, there has been evidence of large cornice falls triggering wind slabs up to size 2. Whumpfing and shooting cracks (clear signs of instability) were also described in this recent MIN post.

A snowmobiler triggered a persistent slab avalanche last Sunday on the east side of White Pass. (MIN post here.) The avalanche failed on facets near the ground.

While it's outside the forecast area, this great MIN from Whitehorse describes conditions there.

Snowpack Summary

Strong winds left behind stubborn wind slabs and hard, wind-affected surfaces. Some good riding and soft powder may still be found in isolated wind-sheltered locations at lower elevations.

Prolonged cold temperatures this winter resulted in a very weak, faceted mid to lower snowpack. Normally, thick and stiff wind-hardened layers would lower the likelihood of triggering these facets, but these layers are lacking their usual strength. Thick to thin upper treeline or lower alpine features are the most likely place to trigger deep weak layers in the mid and lower snowpack.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Clear skies. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Sunday
Mostly sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
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.