Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 17th, 2026–Apr 18th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Sea To Sky, South Coast Inland, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Wind slabs have been reactive and may remain triggerable on steep, lee features.

Check for potential slabs before entering committing terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
We are confident due to a stable weather pattern.

Avalanche Summary

Thursday

An avalanche near the Duffey resulted in assistance from search and rescue. See photo.
Several size 1 to 2 skier-triggered slabs & reports of whumpfing & shooting cracks.
Natural wet loose sluffs and cornice falls to size 1.5.

Wednesday

Numerous skier-triggered and natural storm slabs up to size 2.5, mostly on northerly alpine slopes.

Looking Ahead

Wind slabs will continue to be most concerning on lee north and east-facing features.

Snowpack Summary

15 to 30 cm of storm snow from earlier this week is slowly bonding to an underlying crust. Reactive wind slabs may still exist at upper elevations on shady northerly through easterly slopes.

Sun-affected slopes likely have a surface crust, which may melt and soften with daytime warming.

The remaining snowpack has no current layers of concern, having undergone multiple melt-freeze cycles, forming a mix of crusts and dense, rounded snow. Lower elevations may have wet or isothermal snow to ground.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Mostly clear skies. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Saturday
Sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2100 m.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level rising to 2700 m.

Monday
Sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 8 °C. Freezing level rising to 3000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

Problems

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.