Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 23rd, 2026–Feb 24th, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Rossland, Ymir, Kokanee, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Stick to conservative, low consequence terrain and give the storm snow time to settle.

Recent storm snow has weakened a concerning upper snowpack, human triggered avalanches are likely.

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 Saturday, a rider triggered a large (size 2.5) persistent slab avalanche near Whitewater. It occurred on a northeast aspect at treeline and possibly stepped down to the January weak layer.

Over the past few days avalanches have occurred on all aspects and elevations. Avalanche types included, dry loose, wind slabs, and persistent slabs. These avalanches were triggered naturally and by skiers.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of fresh snow accompanied by strong southwest wind has formed deeper deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain it will overlie a layer of surface hoar or a sun crust. The snow surface is expected to become moist on sun exposed slopes.

Several concerning weak layers exist in the upper snowpack:

Mid February surface hoar and sun crust buried 15 to 40 cm deep.
February 7th surface hoar and crust buried 25 to 45 cm deep.
January 26th surface hoar, crust, and facet layer buried 50 to 80 cm deep.

The mid and lower snowpack are well settled.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Mostly clear skies. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Tuesday
Sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
Be aware of the potential for remote triggering and large avalanches due to buried surface hoar.
Keep your guard up at lower elevations. Storms slabs have been reactive at all elevations.
Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.

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.