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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 4th, 2026–Jan 5th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
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.

Regions

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Powell River, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.

Verify conditions and check for signs of instability before entering committing slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Recent weather patterns have resulted in a high degree of snowpack variability within the region.

Avalanche Summary

Storm slabs were reactive to skier traffic and explosive control around Whistler on Saturday. Numerous small slabs (up to size 1.5) were reported on alpine northerly and easterly slopes.

If you are heading into the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 25 cm of new snow is found at treeline. This new snow will overlie a variety of surfaces, including a crust on south-facing aspects, wind-affected snow on north-facing terrain above 2100 m, and surface hoar on isolated, sheltered features.

The mid-December crust is 100 to 200 cm deep and well-bonded to the snow above. Above 2200 m, this crust is absent and a layer of facets and a crust from November is found at the base of the snowpack. These layers are not currently a concern.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night

Cloudy. Up to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday

A mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy. 15 to 25 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Start on smaller terrain features and gather information before committing to bigger terrain.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.