Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 10th, 2026–Mar 11th, 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 and human triggered avalanches likely.

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.

Regions

South Columbia, Esplanade, North Monashee, North Selkirk, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat.

Buried weak layers have proven they're still very much with us. With new snow problems stacking ontop, this the time for conservative decisions.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about forecast snowfall amounts.
We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

During the storm on the weekend, a widespread natural avalanche cycle occurred. These included storm slabs size 2-3 and persistent slabs size 3-3.5 on all aspects and elevations.

On Monday, numerous persistent slab avalanches size 3-3.5 were triggered in extensive explosive control work throughout the region. This scary MIN report from the Esplanades describes several very large persistent slab avalanches remotely triggered by riders from hundreds of meters away.

Snowpack Summary

Convective snowfall accumulations are likely be greatest at high elevations. 15-60 cm of dry snow accumulates over firm surfaces including a crust which extends up to 1800 m in the north and 2200 m in the south.

Three problematic layers in the mid-snowpack remain suspect.

One or two surface hoar layers buried in February are found 60 to 120 cm deep. In some areas these sit on a thin crust.
A deeper, widespread layer buried in late January, made up of surface hoar, facets, and/or a crust, sits 100 to 180 cm deep. Surface hoar within this layer is most preserved and largest in sheltered terrain at treeline and below.

Weather Summary

Distribution and timing of convective snowfall is highly uncertain.

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

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

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present and have produced recent large avalanches.
Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
It's critical to stay disciplined and stick to gentle, low consequence terrain.

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.

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.