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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 2nd, 2026–Mar 3rd, 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 unlikely, human triggered possible.
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, Homathko, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Fresh, reactive storm slabs with form throughout the day at upper elevations.

Large human-triggered avalanches remain possible due to potential buried weak layers.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday, a few natural wind slabs (size 1-2) avalanches were observed in alpine terrain, some triggered by large cornice failures. Small (size 1) wet loose avalanches were observed from steep solar aspects with strong sun.

Looking forward to Tuesday, new snow and wind will build fresh storm slabs throughout the day.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of new snow will arrive by Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by strong southerly winds. This new snow overlies a melt-freeze crust on solar aspects and lower elevations, and wind-affected surfaces at higher elevations.

40 to 70 cm of storm snow from the past week may be sitting on a layer of surface hoar, facets or a crust.

Another weak layer consisting of a crust with facets from early February is buried 80 to 100+ cm deep.

The remaining snowpack appears to be well settled and bonded.

Weather Summary

Monday Night

Partly cloudy. 1 to 2 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy. 10 to 25 cm of snow at treeline. 40 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Wednesday

A mix of sun and cloud. Up to 5 cm of snow at treeline. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow at treeline. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded terrain features.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.

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.

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.