Selkirk Mountains

The backcountry snowpack is currently shallow and saturated, rendering it unsupportable due to the rain earlier this week. Anticipate encountering a thin snowpack with numerous natural obstacles, making off-trail travel challenging. A wet-loose snowpack should be expected.

It seems Santa won't be coming to the rescue for our snowpack this year. In many past years, a substantial storm around this time would significantly bolster our snow levels, but not this Christmas season! Santa might take some of the blame, but factors such as a robust El Niño, the jet stream, or the polar vortex also are contributing to our lack of snow. A closer look at these weather patterns reveals that none of them are in our favor for precipitation.

However, there's a glimmer of hope on the horizon as a brief disturbance is forecasted to pass through our region today and tonight. Upper elevations could potentially receive 4-8 inches of much-needed snow before a bit of sunshine graces us on Saturday. The snow/rain line for this storm is anticipated to be around the 3,000-5,000 ft elevation level.