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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 17th, 2026–Mar 18th, 2026

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

Microwave-Sinclair, North Bulkley, South Bulkley, Telkwa.

Large storm slabs will likely be reactive to human triggers on Wednesday.

Choose simple, low angle terrain, and avoid overhead hazards.

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 Monday, numerous natural and skier remote triggered storm slabs up to size 2 were reported below treeline. Observations in this region are very limited, and it's likely that very large storm slabs released naturally in the alpine.

If you head out into the backcountry, let us know what you're seeing by submitting a MIN report.

Snowpack Summary

50 to 70 cm of recent snow and strong southwest winds have formed reactive storm slabs overlying a weak layer of surface hoar and/or facets. This weak layer will make large storm slabs more likely to trigger.

There are multiple persistent weak layers consisting of crust/facets or surface hoar in the top 150 cm of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Be aware of the potential for larger than expected storm slabs due to buried surface hoar.
  • Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
  • Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

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.