Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 3rd, 2026–Mar 4th, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

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

Northwest Inland, Nass, Seven Sisters, Shames, Howson, Kispiox, Ningunsaw.

Dangerous avalanche conditions persist. Seek out terrain sheltered from wind and avoid overhead hazard during periods of strong winds or heavy snowfall.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

A persistent slab avalanche was triggered by a skier on Sunday in the Shames area. See the photo below for more details.

Another size 2 skier-triggered avalanche was reported in the Shames backcountry in this MIN on Monday.

Natural avalanches remain possible, especially during periods of heavy snowfall, strong winds, or rapid warming. Human-triggered avalanches will remain likely until snow and wind ease and the snowpack has time to stabilize.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 100 cm of storm snow has accumulated in the past week. In exposed terrain, this snow has been heavily wind-affected by strong southwest winds. In wind-sheltered terrain, the recent snow remains generally low density and may be sitting on a weak layer of surface hoar or a crust.

Variable crust, facet, and/or surface hoar layers, buried throughout February, may exist within the upper 150 cm of the snowpack. These layers are most concerning near and below treeline, especially where the snowpack is shallow.

Below these layers, the remaining snowpack is generally well settled and well bonded.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 4 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Wednesday
Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low angle terrain with no overhead hazard.
Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

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.