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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 12th, 2026–Mar 13th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

Haines Pass, Chilkat Pass.

Human-triggered wind slabs may step down to persistent weak layers.

Continually assess conditions as you travel and avoid aggressive terrain choices.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

A few small ( size 1) human-triggered wind slab avalanches were reported in the region and were initiated on a north facing slope.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 50 cm of recent storm snow has been redistributed by moderate to strong west winds developing wind slabs. This snow sits on a thin layer of facets that was buried on March 3 this layer has recently been reactive to human triggers.

A crust/facet layer buried mid-February remains a concern and has been reactive in snowpack tests.

Below this, the lower snowpack is well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Clear skies. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.

Friday
Sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

Saturday
Sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rocky outcrops, and steep terrain where triggering is most likely.
  • If triggered, wind slabs may step down to deeper layers, causing larger avalanches.

Problems

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.

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.