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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 5th, 2026–Apr 6th, 2026

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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Wet avalanches remain a concern in the sun and warmth.

Large cornice falls may trigger deeper layers on the slopes below. Be very cautious of overhead hazard.

Confidence

High

  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast.
  • We are confident the likelihood of avalanches will increase with the forecast weather.
  • We are confident the snowpack will rapidly weaken with the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, wind slabs were reported in alpine north-facing terrain and south-facing slopes at all elevations produced wet avalanches.

If you are heading into the backcountry, consider sharing your observations and posting a MIN.

Snowpack Summary

While overnight cooling may produce a surface crust, snow surfaces will rapidly become moist/wet with sunshine and rising temperatures. High north facing slopes may still hold dry, cold snow. Many operators are commenting on large cornices - give them a wide berth as temperatures rise.

Expect to find 30 to 50 cm of settling snow over a thick and hard crust below about 1900 m, and old wind-affected snow at upper elevations.

Two older crusts (1-1.5 m deep) previously produced large to very large avalanches, but they seem to have gained strength and are not a current concern. However, each day of warm weather may increase the likelihood of these layers becoming active again.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Clear skies. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

Monday
Sunny. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
  • The more the snowpack warms up and weakens, the more conservative your terrain selection should be.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
  • The likelihood of deep persistent slab avalanches will increase with each day of warm weather.

Problems

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.

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.

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.