Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 16th, 2026–Feb 17th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Cariboos, South Columbia, Blue River, Esplanade, Jordan, North Monashee, North Selkirk, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk, Goat, Gold.

Several weak layers in the snowpack have resulted in very large and widespread avalanches over the long weekend.

It's a good time to stick to conservative terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain due to a highly variable snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

A natural avalanche cycle was observed on Saturday up to size 3. Numerous skier-triggered and remote-triggered slabs also occurred over the weekend, up to size 2. Explosive control triggered several size 3 slabs on Sunday.

Many of these avalanches failed on persistent weak layers. Several occurred at lower elevations below treeline on relatively benign slopes.

Recent MIN reports in the region also highlight the reactivity of these weak layers. See photos below.

Snowpack Summary

Around 5 to 15 cm is in the forecast for overnight and through Tuesday.

There is a lot of variability in the region, but three prevalent surface hoar layers stand out:

Currently, 20 to 80 cm of storm snow is covering a layer of surface hoar or sun crust buried on Feb 13th.

Below that, another 20 to 40 cm of older snow is covering a second layer of surface hoar or a crust from Feb 7th.

Lastly, the late January layer of surface hoar/facets/crust is buried 60 to 100+ cm from the surface.

All of these layers have been reactive in the region recently.

The remaining snowpack has no layers of concern

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Thursday

Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.
Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Problems

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.

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.