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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 5th, 2026–Mar 6th, 2026

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

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Spearhead, Sky Pilot.

New snow and moderate winds are building fresh wind slabs.

With continued loading and warming temperatures, it is a good time to give cornices a wide berth.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to a highly variable snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, explosive work produced several size 1 to 2 storm slab avalanches in the Whistler area as well as a couple size 2 cornice avalanches.

On Tuesday, explosive work produced several size 2 cornice avalanches in the Whistler area.

On Monday, several large (size 2) natural avalanches were observed in wind-loaded north-facing terrain in the alpine. Read the full report here.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of recent snow that arrived with strong southerly winds has been redistributed into deeper deposits in wind-loaded areas. This new snow overlies a melt-freeze crust on solar aspects and previously wind-affected surfaces at higher elevations.

30 to 60 cm of storm snow from the past week may be sitting on a layer of surface hoar, facets or a crust. There has been no reactivity on these layers recently.

Another weak layer consisting of a crust with facets from early February is buried 50 to 100+ cm deep. There has been no reactivity on this layer in tests or in avalanches recently.

The remaining snowpack appears to be well settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night

Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Friday

Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Saturday

Cloudy. 5 to 10 mm of precipitation. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.

Problems

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.