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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 27th, 2026–Feb 28th, 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 avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Boundary, Kitimat, Rupert, Shames, Stewart.

Stick to conservative, low consequence slopes while the storm snow settles.

Human triggered avalanches are likely and natural avalanches are possible during active wind loading.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle occurred on Wednesday and Thursday, details of the extent of the cycle are limited due to poor visibility.

Avalanches have been reported to run far and up to size 3. Most of this activity occurred on north through east aspects.

On Thursday a size 2 persistent slab was remotely triggered by a vehicle on a northwest facing slope at treeline. This avalanche released on the mid February surface hoar, which was down 75 cm in this location.

Snowpack Summary

Recent storm totals are 50 to 80 cm in most areas with up to 120 cm on the immediate coast. This new snow was accompanied by strong to extreme southwest wind, forming deeper deposits on north and east facing terrain. In sheltered terrain this new snow could overlie surface hoar or a sun crust.

Several weak layers of crust, surface hoar or facets are buried 75 to 150 cm deep. These layers are most concerning on sheltered treeline features.

Below, the remaining snowpack is generally well settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 20 cm of snow. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avalanches could start at higher elevations and travel into below treeline terrain.
  • Recent strong wind means wind slabs may be found farther downslope than expected.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.