Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 11th, 2026–Apr 12th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Visibility and flat light might get between you and your goals as the clouds roll in, but don't let it mess with your cornice avoidance!

Confidence

High

We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.

Avalanche Summary

Avalanche activity through the week has been on a diminishing trend, with smaller wet loose releases in solar terrain accounting for most activity. A couple other notables from the week included:

-A very large cornice (size 3) knocked out with a hefty amount of explosives during control work in the Whistler area on Friday.

-A cornice-triggered slab avalanche, size 3, seen from a distance on Overlord Mountain on Wednesday. It happened on a northwest aspect at 2400 m.

Snowpack Summary

Increasing cloud cover and scattered light rain will work against crust recovery on Sunday, likely keeping the snowpack near an isothermal state below about 2000 m. A sprinkling of rain may finally reach some of the 10 - 20 cm of windblown dry snow hiding on the region's higher north-facing slopes, but perhaps not mountaintop.

A crust/facet layer from late March sits 20 to 80 cm deep and another thick crust sits 80-100 cm deep. Near Whistler, some facets have been reported around the deeper crust. Neither layer is an avalanche problem right now, but they perhaps give cornices from high north aspects a slim chance of triggering a slab, like the one observed on Overlord Mountain on Wednesday.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2100 m.

Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated showers, 1 mm. 10 to 15 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, increasing. Treeline high temperature 3 °C. Freezing level to 2200 m.

Monday
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers, 2 to 4 mm, and a trace of alpine snow. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind, increasing. Treeline high temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Tuesday
Cloudy with increasing snowfall bringing 20 to 35 cm of new snow above 1200 m, heavy rain below. 50 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature -2 °C. Freezing level to 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

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.