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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 23rd, 2025–Apr 24th, 2025

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, 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.

Regions

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

Be sure to verify conditions before committing to steep slopes and back off if the snow is wet and slushy. Start your day early and end early.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, a large cornice was triggered using explosives. This entrained wet snow on the slope below up to size 2.

Avalanche activity, such as wet loose and cornice falls, may increase with solar radiation, high freezing levels, and a limited overnight refreeze.

Snowpack Summary

Dry snow may linger on shady north slopes in the alpine above 2200 m.

The snowpack is generally strong, with a typical spring diurnal pattern: daytime warming moistens the upper snowpack, then overnight cooling usually forms a hard crust at higher elevations. Lower elevations may not refreeze and are experiencing an all-melt, no freeze scenario and melting out quickly. Isothermal snow conditions exist below 1500 m.

Dormant weak layers may still exist in isolated alpine terrain, but likely require a very heavy trigger, such as a cornice fall. This should be on your radar with forecast high freezing levels, solar radiation, and a limited overnight refreeze.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear periods. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2°C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Thursday

Mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Friday

Sunny. 10 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +4 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

Saturday

Sunny. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +5 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • 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.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

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.

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.