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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2025–Apr 5th, 2025

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

Regions

Cariboos, Blue River, Clearwater, McBride, Premier, Quesnel, Clemina, Renshaw, Robson.

Get an early start and aim to wrap up your day early.

If you're heading to high north-facing terrain for dry powder, steer clear of wind-loaded slopes and overhead hazards.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday a small (size 1) wet loose avalanche cycle was observed on steep south aspect terrain

On Tuesday, a naturally triggered size 3 and a cornice triggered size 2.5 persistent slabs were reported on northerly aspects in the alpine near Blue River.

There have been several recent cornice falls triggering very large persistent slabs in this region.

NOTE: Observations in this region are currently very limited.

Snowpack Summary

On the surface, up to 20 cm of recent snow exists on northerly aspects in the alpine. Solar aspects and lower elevations will sport a crust or moist snow.

Below this, a 5 to 25 cm variable strength crust from last week's rain event is present. This is capping a moist upper snowpack.

The primary weak layer of concern is a surface hoar, facet, and crust layer from early March, buried 60 to 120 cm deep.

The lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong in most areas.

Weather Summary

Friday Night

Mostly clear. 5 to 15 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rising to 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Saturday

Mostly sunny. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rising to +1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2200 m.

Sunday

Increasing cloud cover. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.

Monday

Increasing cloud cover. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level rising to 2500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.
  • The more the snowpack warms up and weakens, the more conservative your terrain selection should be.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.

Problems

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.

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.

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.