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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2026–Mar 6th, 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 avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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 possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Purcells, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir, Crawford, St. Mary, Kokanee, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Wind affected snow combined with reactive, persistent weak layers is keeping hazard elevated.

Stick to low-angle slopes and avoid exposing yourself to steep terrain from above.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, warm temperatures and precipitation supported the release of sluffs and pinwheels, with up to size 1.5 wet loose avalanche activity being reported.

A large skier triggered persistent slab avalanche occurred just north of the region. The slab height was roughly 60 cm deep on the Feb 14th surface hoar layer.

Recent reports:

Mar 1 MIN: A very close call

Feb 28 MIN: Avalanche fatality

The snowpack structure is a concern, human triggered avalanches remain likely.

Snowpack Summary

Recent mixed precipitation fell as snow above 2000 m, with variable amounts across the region. Below this, a new surface hoar/surface crust layer has been buried.

In the top 100 cm of the snowpack, there are multiple concerning persistent weak layers of surface hoar and/or facets/crusts. The majority of the recent large and destructive avalanches occurred on well-preserved surface hoar in sheltered areas at treeline and below.

The remaining snowpack has no current layers of concern.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 15 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 2000 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.
  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

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.