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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 29th, 2025–Dec 30th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
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, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Rockies, Bull, Crowsnest North, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Be aware that small wind slabs have the potential to step down to deeper weak layers.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported, but observations are extremely limited in the region.

On Dec 21, large, naturally triggered slab avalanches occurred in the North Crowsnest area. These failed on a deep persistent weak layer down 1-2 m, and some stepped down to the ground.

Check out this MIN from our field team.

Snowpack Summary

20 to 40 cm of recent storm snow continues to settle and stabilize. At treeline and below, this snow has buried a thin melt-freeze crust formed just before Christmas.

Strong westerly winds have redistributed recent snow into deeper deposits at higher elevations.

Near the bottom of the snowpack, a significant crust exists with associated faceted snow.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Mostly clear skies. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 40 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C, with a chance of above-freezing temperatures in some alpine terrain.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 30 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Thursday
Sunny. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.

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.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.