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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 8th, 2026–Feb 9th, 2026

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Purcells, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Ymir, Crawford, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Weak layers in the upper snowpack are primed for human-triggered slab avalanches. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully and remember; conservative terrain choices are your 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

Each day over the past week, several persistent slab avalanches are reported across the region. They are:

  • Natural and human-triggered, some remotely from large distances away.

  • Average size 1 but up to size 2.

  • On north to west aspects, mostly around treeline.

  • Failing on the late-January layer described in the snowpack summary.

Snowpack Summary

15 cm of new snow settles over a complex upper snowpack.

A widespread breakable crust sits beneath the new snow, on all but the highest north aspects. At mid elevations, it may be topped with surface hoar crystals, making for a weak bond.

Another widespread weak layer is buried 30 to 40 cm deep. It formed in late January and consists of surface hoar on a melt-freeze crust, with a thick layer of facets below. Check out the snowpack test results on this layer in this MIN from Friday.

These layers are expected to become increasingly problematic as they get buried deeper.

The mid and lower snowpack remain well settled, with no significant concerns at this time.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Mostly clear skies. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
  • Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Use careful route-finding and stick to moderate angled slopes with low consequences.

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.