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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 15th, 2025–Apr 16th, 2025

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 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.

Cornices are large and unstable in spring. Use caution on slopes below cornices and give them a wide berth while traveling on ridgelines.

Learn more about spring snowpack conditions here.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, wet loose avalanches (size 1) were reported out of steep south-facing slopes throughout the region.

Several natural and human-triggered cornice failures (size 1 and 2) were reported, like this massive one from the Joffre Lake area.

Thanks for sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network when going into the backcountry.

Snowpack Summary

A typical spring diurnal cycle is underway.

High freezing levels have formed a surface crust everywhere except possibly the highest north-facing terrain, where dry snow is ready to get transported by winds.

The snowpack is generally well-settled and strong, although dormant weak layers may still exist in shallow inland areas like the Duffey and Chilcotin.

Sustained high freezing levels with poor overnight recovery have the potential to awaken dormant weak layers.

Lower elevations are melting out rapidly.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Clear. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Wednesday

Sunny. 30 to 40 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Thursday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Friday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 3200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling, and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
  • Watch for signs of slab formation throughout the day.
  • 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.