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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 3rd, 2026–Mar 4th, 2026

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Choose conservative, low-consequence terrain with no overhead hazard.

Reactive storm slabs in combination with buried weak layers are creating dangerous avalanche conditions.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Persistent slabs could become more likely with the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, several large (size 2) natural avalanches were observed in wind-loaded north-facing terrain in the alpine. Read the full report here.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 60 cm of new snow has fallen at upper elevations in the past 24 hours. Strong southerly winds will have redistributed this snow into deeper deposits in wind-loaded areas. This new snow overlies a melt-freeze crust on solar aspects and wind-affected surfaces at higher elevations.

40 to 70 cm of storm snow from the past week may be sitting on a layer of surface hoar, facets or a crust.

Another weak layer consisting of a crust with facets from early February is buried 80 to 100+ cm deep.

The remaining snowpack appears to be well settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Cloudy. 15 to 25 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday

Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
  • Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.

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.