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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 20th, 2026–Feb 21st, 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 Inland, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Howson, Microwave-Sinclair.

Hard wind slabs exist on unusual aspects and elevations. Identifying slopes that could avalanche may be more challenging than usual.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

A few skier-triggered hard wind slab avalanches have been reported since Wednesday, size 1 to 2, on a variety of aspects at treeline and in alpine terrain.

A remotely triggered avalanche on Wednesday suggests these dense new slabs may be resting on a weak crust with facets in areas.

Looking forward, these hard slabs will be harder to trigger than soft wind slabs, but have the potential to propagate farther and be more destructive.

Snowpack Summary

The upper snowpack has been heavily wind-affected across most aspects and elevations. Most exposed areas have been scoured down to old crusts or sastrugi, while on leeward slopes, recently formed wind slabs persist at and above treeline, and even in open terrain below treeline.

In isolated, wind-sheltered terrain, 20 to 40 cm of low-density snow overlies a surface hoar layer, primarily at treeline and below.

A January crust with associated facets is buried roughly 60 to 120 cm below the surface. Beneath this layer, the remainder of the snowpack is generally well settled and well bonded.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Saturday
Mostly sunny. 30 to 60 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
  • Use careful route-finding and stick to moderate angled slopes with low consequences.
  • Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for 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.