Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 9th, 2026–Feb 10th, 2026

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, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Purcells, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Ymir, Crawford, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Weak layers in the upper snowpack are primed for human-triggered slab avalanches.

Evaluate snow and terrain carefully and remember; conservative terrain choices are your best defense.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, several human-triggered storm slab and persistent slab avalanches were reported.

Storm slabs releases were roughly 15 cm deep, with deeper releases in wind loaded areas.
Persistent slab releases were roughly 30 to 40 cm deep, failing on the late-January layer of surface hoar/facets/crust.

Snowpack Summary

Roughly 15 cm of new snow (wind affected at upper elevations) overlies a complex upper snowpack.

A widespread breakable crust sits beneath the new snow, on all but the highest north aspects. At mid elevations, it may be topped with surface hoar crystals, making for a weak bond.

Another widespread weak layer is buried 30 to 40 cm deep. It formed in late January and consists of surface hoar on a melt-freeze crust, with a thick layer of facets below.

These layers are expected to become increasingly problematic as they get buried deeper.

The mid and lower snowpack remain well settled, with no significant concerns at this time.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday
Cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Thursday
Sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Use careful route-finding and stick to moderate angled slopes with low consequences.

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.