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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 2nd, 2025–Apr 3rd, 2025

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, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus.

Cornice and wet loose avalanches are possible in steep terrain.

Use caution on sun-exposed slopes and always practice good travel habits.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Observations since the weekend have been limited to explosive-triggered cornices (size 2 to 2.5) and small wet loose avalanches.

Following last week's widespread avalanche cycle, there were still some notable events over the weekend, including a size 2.5 slab triggered by a cornice fall on Tremor Mountain (see photo). The persistent slab problem is currently dormant and likely requires a very large cornice fall on isolated slopes to trigger.

Snowpack Summary

Expect wet and moist surfaces on sun-exposed slopes. 10 to 20 cm of wind-affected dry snow exists at high elevations, sitting over a melt-freeze crust. Below this, the upper snowpack remains moist or wet.

Several persistent weak layers from January, February, and March can be found between 1 and 3 m deep in the Sea to Sky area.

At lower elevations, the rain-saturated snowpack tapers quickly with elevation.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday

Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Friday

Sunny. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +3 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
  • Carefully evaluate big and steep terrain features before committing to them.
  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.

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.