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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 4th, 2026–Apr 5th, 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

Sea To Sky, Brandywine, Garibaldi, Homathko, Spearhead, Tantalus, Sky Pilot.

Hippity hop, it's getting hot to the tippity top of the mountains.

Large cornice falls have been reported recently. As temperatures continue to rise, give cornices a wide berth.

Confidence

High

  • We are confident the snowpack will rapidly weaken with the forecast weather.
  • 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.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, explosive avalanche control produced multiple large (size 2-2.5) cornice avalanches. There are also reports of extensive older loose wet avalanche debris in the Sky Pilot area.

On Thursday, explosive avalanche control produced a large (size 2) storm slab avalanche over a convex roll. While this avalanche was relatively shallow, it had wide propogation and ran far.

On Wednesday around Whistler, ski cutting produced a few small (size 1) storm slab avalanches.

Snowpack Summary

Warm daytime temperatures and clear nights have formed a surface crust in many areas, with wet or slushy surface snow elsewhere.

Up to 20 cm of new snow has accumulated at treeline and above over the past week, accompanied by moderate to strong southwest wind.

60 to 90 cm of mostly settled snow overlies the thick and hard mid-March crust below about 2200 m, and old wind-affected snow above 2200 m. Around Whistler, some facets have been reported around this crust.

Many operators are commenting on how large the cornices have formed this year.

The snowpack below the mid-March crust is wet but well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 2200 m.

Sunday
Sunny. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

Monday
Mostly sunny. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Warming weather will change the game, click this link for great terrain and travel advice.


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.
  • Use extra caution for areas that are experiencing rapidly warming temperatures for the first time.

Problems

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.

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.