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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 16th, 2026–Apr 17th, 2026

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

Regions

Vancouver Island, East Island, North Island, South Island, West Island.

Soft powder and good riding may still be found on shady alpine slopes

Check for wind slabs before entering committing terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.
  • We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

Tuesday’s storm produced some natural avalanches observed by the field team, see photo below. Observations have been very limited.

Looking forward, small wind slabs may remain triggerable on shaded, lee alpine slopes. Check for possible slabs before entering steep or committing terrain.

Snowpack Summary

15 to 30 cm of storm snow from earlier in the week has largely bonded with an underlying hard crust. Small wind slabs may still exist at upper elevations on shady north through easterly slopes.

Previously sun-affected slopes likely have a new sun crust which may melt and soften with daytime warming.

The remaining snowpack has no current layers of concern, having undergone multiple melt-freeze cycles, forming a mix of crusts and dense rounded snow. Lower elevations may have wet or isothermal snow to ground.

This MIN post describes the riding conditions at Mt.Cain following the storm.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m dropping to 1000 m.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level rising to 1400 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Sunday
Cloudy. 10 to 25 mm of rain at treeline. 40 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 4 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

Problems

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.