Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 20th, 2026–Apr 21st, 2026

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.

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.

The surface crust will break down quickly

Start and finish your day early

We still have concerns for slab avalanches at higher elevations, conservative terrain is the answer to uncertainty

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 were reported in the region late last week. 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.

Over the weekend numerous wet loose avalanches up to size 2 were reported. These avalanches occurred primarily at treeline.

Snowpack Summary

A thin crust may exist early in the morning on most terrain but it will break down quickly. The snow below is likely moist or wet. The exception to this is high north facing terrain where dry snow could still exist.

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

Monday Night
Clear skies. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 2900 m.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2800 m.

Wednesday
Sunny. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

Thursday
Sunny. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1900 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.