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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 8th, 2026–Mar 9th, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Glacier.

The Alpine and upper Treeline received a wallop of warm snow and wind, while lower elevations had the "rain hose" blasting hard.

Time will tell on how the persistent slab problem reacts to the additional loading, or if it failed during this recent storm.

See the Avalanche Canada blog post for an info on persistent slab conditions.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

Explosive artillery control on Sunday had excellent results, with widespread avalanches triggered throughout the hwy corridor from sz 2 to sz 4. Of note, avalanche character changed to wet/loose below treeline with the rain and warm temps.

See the Avalanche Canada blog post for info on dealing with persistent slab problems. We are entering the "healing' stage. Avalanches are becoming less likely but the consequence will remain massive for the foreseeable future.

Snowpack Summary

65cm of snow Saturday night, strong/extreme SW winds, and high freezing levels have formed a widespread slab at all elevations.

The Feb 9 and Jan 26 surface hoar (SH) layers are now buried 110-170cm deep, and were stress-tested by the recent warm, heavy storm.

The Feb 9 SH sits over a crust on solar aspects.

The Jan 26th layer is composed of very large surface hoar (up to 40mm), facets, and/or a crust, The largest surface hoar is preserved in sheltered areas below treeline.

Weather Summary

Cooler unsettled weather, followed by a stormy Wed.

Tonight Flurries, 5cm. Alpine low -12°C. Freezing level (FZL) Valley bottom. Winds W 15-25km/h.

Mon Isolated flurries, trace amounts. Alp High -12°C. Wind W 25 gusting to 40km/h. FZL valley bottom.

Tues Scattered flurries, 5cm. Alp High -13°C. Wind SW 30 gusting to 60km/h. FZL 500m.

Wed Snow, 25cm. Alp High -7°C. Wind SW 25 gusting to 120km/h. FZL 1100m.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.
  • Shooting cracks, whumpfs, and recent avalanches are strong indicators of an unstable snowpack.

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.