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 and human triggered avalanches likely.

Treeline

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Alpine

Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

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

Travel in terrain sheltered from wind and avoid overhead hazard, especially during periods of strong wind 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 large (size 2.5) persistent slab avalanche was remotely triggered by a skier on Tuesday, north east of Hazelton.

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.

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. Read more about the persistent slab problem here.

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

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Cloudy. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Friday
Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 10 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

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.