Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 19th, 2026–Apr 20th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, South Coast Inland, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

It’s a mixed bag out there. Wet loose and persistent slabs are both possible or even likely.

Assess conditions as you travel and choose conservative terrain when uncertain.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how the snowpack will react to the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

Several size 1.5 to 2.5 skier and remotely triggered slab avalanches have been reported in the region over the past few days. These avalanches predominantly occurred on north and east aspects in the alpine. They failed on a layer of facets over a crust from mid April. See photos below.

Snowpack Summary

A thin crust may exist early in the morning but it will break down quickly. The snow below is likely wet.

A thick crust, with facets above it, can be found down 10 to 40 cm at treeline and above. Previous wind may have scoured exposed features back to this crust.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled and strong. At low elevations the snowpack is disappearing quickly.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2800 m.

Monday
Sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 3000 m.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 2900 m.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 3 to 4 mm of rain at treeline. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to a buried crust.
In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.
Loose avalanches may start small, but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

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.