Avalanche forecast

Lizard-Flathead

Mar 5 – 6, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 7 months ago

Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

A persistent weak layer remains a concern, particularly in steep, sheltered areas at treeline.

Carefully evaluate steep terrain features before committing to them.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Recent snow and wind built small wind slabs near ridgetops and on lee and crossloaded features at upper elevations. Wind slabs could step down to deeper weak layers.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets over a crust is buried 30 to 60 cm. This layer has been most reactive around steep openings in the forest or high elevation cutblocks.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.
  • We have higher uncertainty about treeline conditions due to persistent slabs.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, explosive control north of Sparwood resulted in two large avalanches that failed on the persistent weak layer up to 60 cm deep. They failed on steep roadbanks below treeline.

On Monday, several small wet loose avalanches were triggered by people and ran naturally on sunny slopes.

Looking forward, natural avalanches are unlikely, but riders triggering slabs remains possible to likely.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 cm of new snow fell on Wednesday and may have formed small new wind slabs in lee areas near ridgetops. This snow likely fell as rain below 1700 m.

The recent snow is covering previously wind-affected surfaces. Solar-facing slopes and most areas at treeline and below have a surface crust.

A persistent weak layer of surface hoar or facets and a crust is buried 30 to 60 cm deep. Persistent slab avalanches are most likely in sheltered areas at treeline and below, where the surface hoar was well preserved.

The mid and lower snowpack are well settled in some areas. In others, large facets or depth hoar are present at the bottom of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 3 cm of snow. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Friday
Mostly sunny. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

Regions covered