Avalanche forecast

South Columbia

Feb 22 – 23, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 7 months ago

Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Highlights

Recent very large avalanches have occurred in the region.

Don't get caught off guard; Start on small features and gather info before considering bigger terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    New snow and strong southerly winds may build fresh wind slabs on Sunday. Old wind slabs may also remain triggerable on various aspects. These slabs could step down to deeper persistent layers creating larger than expeceted avalanches.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–3

    Three reactive, problematic persistent weak layers exist in the upper 150 cm of the snowpack. These layers continue to surprise people with instances of remote triggering and releasing on low angle slopes in unexpected areas.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are confident that there are persistent slabs in the snowpack, but uncertain about how likely they are to trigger.

Avalanche Summary

Numerous natural and human-triggered wind slab and persistent slab avalanches have been occurring daily. Some of them are being triggered accidentally or remotely and are occurring on all aspects and elevations. Many of these avalanches failed on persistent weak layers, including a serious incident in the Selkirks on Thursday.

Reactivity on the weak layers is expected to continue, and both natural and human-triggered avalanches may be possible.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 5 cm of new snow may fall on Sunday. Strong southerly winds may build fresh wind slabs near ridgetops throughout the day.

Three persistent layers of concern may be found in the upper 150 cm of the snowpack:

  • 25 to 60+ cm down is a layer of surface hoar in sheltered areas, or a melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed slopes from mid-February.

  • 40 to 100+ cm down is the early-February layer of surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain and a crust on sun-exposed slopes.

  • 70 to 120 cm down is the late-January layer of surface hoar and facets over a melt-freeze crust.

All of these persistent layers continue to cause large avalanches in the region.

The remainder of the snowpack is strong.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west 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.
  • Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

Regions covered