Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2026–Apr 3rd, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

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 may step down to deeper layers, creating very large avalanches.

Stick to sheltered, conservative terrain for the best and safest riding.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

In the past few days, a couple of natural wind slabs, size 2-2.5 were observed on north and east aspects in the alpine.

Several recent natural cornice falls have been large enough that, even without triggering a slab, they were size 2.5 or greater.

A few very large persistent slab avalanches have been reported throughout the region in recent days. Some are suspected to have run on the mid-March layer, and others even deeper. Most of these avalanches were triggered by cornices.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of new snow has been redistributed by southwest winds, creating wind slabs and wind-affected surfaces. This new snow overlies a sun crust on steep solar aspects and up to 40 cm of facetted snow in sheltered areas.

A layer of facets and/or surface hoar from earlier in March can be found 50 to 100 cm deep.

Several older persistent weak layers are buried up to 250 cm deep. While triggering these layers is trending toward unlikely, they present a low-probability, high-consequence problem.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 15 cm of snow. 40 to 80 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 3 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy. 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °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.
Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
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.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.