Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 3rd, 2026–Apr 4th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Below Threshold.

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

New wind slabs should be on your radar, but the weak basal snowpack is a bigger problem. Choose conservative terrain to avoid the consequences of triggering a destructive persistent slab.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

Aerial observations in White Pass on Thursday included several recent natural persistent slabs to size 2.5, mainly on southeast to southwest aspects. There were also numerous wet loose on similar aspects up to size 2 and a few small natural cornice releases triggering small wind slabs. One solar-triggered wind slab stepped down to a persistent weak layer and released a size 2 avalanche.

Check out this MIN report for more detail.

Snowpack Summary

Light flurries will add a skiff of new snow to new surface hoar that has been growing in the high alpine, although forecast winds may damage these unwanted grains on wind-exposed slopes.

New snow will otherwise bury hard, pressed surfaces, wind slab, and sastrugi in exposed terrain. That said, we’ve received reports of good riding on faceted northeast-facing slopes and sheltered terrain at lower elevations. A sun crust on or near the surface of sun-exposed slopes completes the tally of pre-storm surfaces.

The lower snowpack is faceted and generally weak, particularly in shallow areas.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Cloudy, mainly around White Pass, with flurries bringing 1 or 2 cm of new snow. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -5 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy with continuing flurries bringing 1 to 3 cm of new snow, still mainly around White Pass. 20 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline high temperature -4 °C.

Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline high temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Cloudy with flurries bringing 5 to 10 cm of snow, including overnight. 15 to 40 km/h east ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline high temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.

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.