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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 17th, 2026–Apr 18th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Small avalanches in isolated areas remain possible under low danger ratings.

Continue to verify conditions and use normal caution in avalanche terrain

Confidence

Moderate

  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.
  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

Tuesday’s storm produced some natural avalanches observed by the field team, see photo below. No other recent avalanches have been reported, however observations are very limited this time of year.

Looking ahead, small, isolated wind slabs may remain triggerable on lee alpine slopes. Some wet loose activity may be possible during the warmest parts of the day.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 30 cm of storm snow from earlier in the week has largely bonded with an underlying hard crust. Small, isolated wind slabs may still exist at upper elevations on shady northerly slopes.

Sun-affected slopes have a variable surface crust, which will likely melt and soften with daytime warming, improving the riding quality.

The remaining snowpack has no current layers of concern, having already undergone multiple melt-freeze cycles. Lower elevations may have wet or isothermal snow to ground.

This MIN post describes recent conditions at Mt. Cokely.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 3 mm of rain at treeline. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 10 °C. Freezing level rising to 2400 m.

Monday
Mostly sunny. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 13 °C. Freezing level rising to 2800 m.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for slabs before you commit to it.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.

Problems

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.

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind 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.