Bridging USDC

import { Steps } from ‘@astrojs/starlight/components’;

Snowside is connected to Avalanche’s C-Chain via the Interchain Messaging (ICM) protocol. This allows you to bridge USDC trust-minimizingly — no third-party custodian, no wrapped tokens, just native Avalanche messaging.

Prerequisites

• USDC balance on Avalanche’s C-Chain
• A Web3 wallet (MetaMask, Rabby, etc.) connected to C-Chain
• The Snowside network added to your wallet (Chain ID 73, RPC URL https://rpc.snowside.network/ext/bc/snowside/rpc, Symbol BTC)

Bridging USDC to Snowside

Navigate to the Snowside bridge interface at https://bridge.snowside.network and connect your wallet to C-Chain. Specify how much USDC you want to bridge to Snowside. The interface shows the estimated fee (paid in AVAX on C-Chain) and the expected arrival time. Click Bridge. Your wallet will ask for two transactions: an Approve transaction (allows the ICM teleporter contract to move your USDC), and a Send transaction (locks USDC on C-Chain and sends the ICM message to Snowside). After Avalanche finality (1–3 seconds), your USDC is minted on Snowside. Switch your wallet to the Snowside network to see your balance.

Bridging USDC back to C-Chain

The reverse process is identical:

1. Connect your wallet to Snowside
2. Enter the amount of USDC to bridge back
3. Submit the burn transaction (gas paid in BTC)
4. USDC is unlocked on C-Chain after finality

How the bridge works

The ICM bridge is not a third-party bridge. It uses Avalanche’s native Interchain Messaging protocol:

1. USDC is locked in the ICM teleporter contract on C-Chain
2. The ICM protocol sends a message to Snowside’s validator set
3. Snowside validators verify the message and mint equivalent USDC
4. The reverse process burns USDC on Snowside and unlocks it on C-Chain

No third party ever custodies the funds. The bridge’s security is inherited from Avalanche consensus itself.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
USDC not arriving	Wait 10 seconds for finality. Check the explorer for the ICM message.
Wrong network	Ensure wallet is on C-Chain (Chain ID 43114) for sending, Snowside (Chain ID 73) for receiving.
Insufficient gas for approval	You need AVAX on C-Chain for the approval and send transactions.