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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 13th, 2025–Apr 14th, 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.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Cornice falls may trigger large avalanches on slopes below.

Avoid traveling on slopes below cornices and give them a wide berth while traveling on ridetops.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, several natural cornice failures triggered wind slabs up to size 2.5 on steep, northerly aspects in the alpine near Whistler.

Numerous wet loose avalanches up to size 2 were triggered by solar radiation on solar aspects.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 20 cm of recent snow in the alpine and strong southerly wind formed wind slabs at upper elevations.

The recent snow sits on top a crust, except for northerly aspects at upper elevations where the previous snow surface remained dry.

Recent snow amounts taper quickly with elevation.

The snowpack is generally well-settled and strong, although dormant weak layers may still exist in shallow inland areas like the Duffey and Chilcotin.

Lower elevations are melting out rapidly.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Mostly clear. 5 to 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.

Monday

Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2400 m.

Tuesday

Sunny. 5 to 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 4 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

Wednesday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.

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.

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.