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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 9th, 2026–Apr 10th, 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 unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

One more day of exploring in the sun before cloud and drizzle dampen the mood. Bring sharp tools to deal with hard crust and start and finish early to avoid getting caught in isothermal snow.

Confidence

High

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

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported recently, and under current conditions, very little activity is expected. If you get out into the backcountry, post a MIN!

Snowpack Summary

All of the Island snowpack has now seen temperatures well above 0 °C. Clear overnights will allow surface crusts to form before daytime warming softens the surface again. Even after repeated melt-freeze cycles, travelers appear to still be finding enough boot and ski penetration for effective travel. Sharp footwear may be essential during the morning hours.

Expect surfaces to become moist during the day and even isothermal on sun-facing slopes. Wet loose avalanche danger emerges when this condition is in play, a counterpoint to slip-and-fall hazards when the surface is frozen. Outside of oscillating surface conditions, there are no layers of concern in the snowpack. We still have about 190 cm at 1450 m.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Clear skies. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 2800 m.

Friday
Sunny before clouding over late afternoon. 10 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 9 °C. Freezing level 2700 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers, 1 to 4 mm. 5 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with scattered showers, 2 to 5 mm. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Rocks will heat up with daytime warming and may become trigger points for loose wet avalanches.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.

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.