Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 8th, 2026–Apr 9th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot, Tetrahedron.

There's no better time to chase your big spring objectives. Bring sharp tools, keep track of cornices in overhead terrain, and start and finish early to avoid isothermal conditions.

Confidence

High

We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity has quieted since the weekend warmup. Several more natural wet loose avalanches up to size 2.5 were observed in the Whistler area on Monday. This was focused on west aspects above 2000 m. Ski cutting produced several size 1.5 releases. A bit less of the same type of activity was reported Tuesday.

Numerous cornice falls and wind slab avalanches were reported along with more widespread, larger wet loose activity on the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

Spring-like melt-freeze cycles now characterize a daily evolution of surface conditions on all but north-facing slopes above 2000 m, where 10 to 20 cm of windblown dry snow may still be found.

A crust/facet layer from late March sits 20 to 80 cm deep. It isn't presently a concern but perhaps gives large cornice falls from high north aspects a remote chance of triggering a slab.

A thick crust sits 80-100 cm deep. Near Whistler, some facets have been reported around this crust. The snowpack below is well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Clear skies. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Thursday
Sunny. 5 to 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 5 °C. Freezing level to 2400 m.

Friday
Mostly sunny, clouding over in the afternoon with light rain near end-of-day. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with scattered rain showers, 1 to 2 mm. 15 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches.
Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.