Avalanche forecast

Yukon

Mar 12 – 13, 2025Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating

Highlights

Wind slabs are the main concern, however there is potential for persistent slab avalanches in the eastern portions of White Pass. Back off if you encounter whumpfing or shooting cracks.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Small amounts of new snow each day and primarily southerly winds continue to build thin wind slabs.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

There have been reports of a few natural and skier triggered size 1.5 wind slab avalanches on northerly aspects in White Pass and in the Haines Summit area.

Snowpack Summary

20-40 cm of recent new snow sits on a melt-freeze crust on solar slopes, hard wind-affected snow, or facets and surface hoar on shady slopes.

Reports from the eastern portion of the White Pass area indicate a surface hoar layer 30-50 cm below the surface that has been reactive in snowpack tests.

A weak layer of facets sitting on a crust that formed in early December is buried 60 to 150 cm deep on all aspects up to 1750 m. This layer has not produced recent avalanche activity or test results and is not currently a concern.

Snow depth varies from 100 cm at highway elevations to over 200 cm in the alpine.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Partly cloudy. 15 to 25 km/h east and southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -13 °C.

Thursday

Mix of sun and clouds. 10 to 25 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 20 km/h southwest wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.

Saturday

Mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 km/h southeast wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.

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