Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 9th, 2026–Mar 10th, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kispiox, Ningunsaw.

Fresh wind slabs are developing over hard surfaces, human triggering is possible.

Continually assess as you travel. Identify wind-affected slopes, and back off if they feel dense or stiff.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

Sunday: Several human triggered size 1 wind slab avalanches that released on the most recent crust.

Natural and human-triggered large to very large persistent slab avalanches were reported north of Kispiox

Saturday: north of Kispiox a natural cornice release was reported that triggered a size 2.5 wind slab avalanche. In the same area skier triggered wind slab activity was reported.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 15 to 20 cm of new snow is being redistributed by moderate southwest wind. This cold new snow overlies previously wind-affected surfaces treeline and above, and at lower elevations a crust.

Two weak layers remain a concern:

A crust/facet layer buried early February down 90 to 120 cm.
A surface hoar layer buried mid February down 60 to 90 cm.

Recent avalanche activity has involved these layers with natural and human-triggered avalanches reported.

Below these layers, the remaining snowpack is generally well settled.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 3 to 4 cm of snow. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.
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.