Avalanche forecast

South Columbia

Mar 7 – 8, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Tue
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
4 · High
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Highlights

Heavy snowfall, warm temperatures and buried weak layers make for very dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid all avalanche terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–4

    Multiple weak layers are present between roughly 80 and 180 cm deep. Triggering any of these layers would likely produce large, destructive avalanches.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1–3

    New snow and wind are forming fresh, reactive slabs and adding load to buried weak layers.

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Loose wet avalanches will become increasingly likely as rain wets the upper snowpack at lower elevations.

Confidence

High

  • We are confident the likelihood of avalanches will increase with the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

Widespread avalanche activity up to size 4 has been reported at all elevations over the past week. Avalanches have been triggered naturally, by riders, vehicles, and aircraft, many triggered remotely from a distance away. They have run on various buried weak layers detailed in the snowpack summary.

Large, destructive avalanche activity can be expected to continue as heavy snowfall further stresses these layers.

Snowpack Summary

Heavy snowfall adds load to a precarious snowpack. At upper elevations, wind loads new snow into leeward terrain features. At lower elevations, the rain line creeps up to 1400 m by the end of Saturday.

Three problematic layers persist in the mid-snowpack.

  • One or two surface hoar layers buried in February (depending on location) are found roughly 60 to 120 cm below the surface, and in some areas these sit on a thin crust.

  • A deeper, widespread layer buried in late January, made up of surface hoar, facets, and/or a crust, is roughly 100 to 180 cm deep. Surface hoar within this layer is most preserved and largest in sheltered terrain at treeline and below.

  • Check out this blog for more details.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday
Cloudy. 15 to 25 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 20 to 30 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy loading from new snow, wind, or rain.
  • Only the most simple non-avalanche terrain with no overhead hazard is appropriate at this time.
  • Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.

Regions covered