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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 26th, 2026–Feb 27th, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
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.

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 likely continued through Thursday but we have not received reports yet of activity on Thursday.

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

Check out this great MIN report from Shames.

Snowpack Summary

By Friday morning, storm totals are expected to reach 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 well bonded.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 20 cm of snow. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • 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.

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.