Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 30th, 2026–Mar 31st, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw.

Seek out conservative, low consequence terrain.

WE have some uncertainty in the likelihood of persistent slabs, conservative terrain choices are the 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

A few notable avalanches occurred over the weekend.

· A natural size 3 persistent slab was observed near Stewart. This avalanche might have initiated as a wind slab and then stepped down to the early February layer.

· A couple very large natural cornice falls were reported in the far north of the region. One of these cornices triggered a persistent slab on the slope below. Both were large enough that even without triggering a slab on the slope they were size 2.5 or greater.

Snowpack Summary

Previous strong wind has created hard, pressed surfaces, wind slab, and scouring in exposed terrain. A new sun crust could be on or near the surface. Cornices are large and overhanging.

A layer of facets and/or surface hoar from earlier in March can be found 50 to 100 cm deep.

Several older persistent weak layers are buried up to 250 cm deep. While triggering these layers is trending toward unlikely, they present a low-probability, high-consequence problem.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be aware of the potential for large, destructive avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.
Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.