Avalanche forecast

Kispiox

Dec 28 – 29, 2025Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Seek out areas that have been sheltered from the wind and be cautious of areas that are being actively wind loaded.

Buried surface hoar is lurking in the snowpack and can be hard to detect.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Strong northeast wind on Wednesday has formed new wind slabs in leeward features.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–2.5

    Several surface hoar layers are buried 60 to 100 cm deep across the region. Their spatial distribution and reactivity are uncertain, so use extra caution on large, steep slopes.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, the AvCan field team observed a couple of recent size 2 wind slab avalanches in the Onion riding area.

Snowpack Summary

5 cm of snow today will cover a variety of old snow surfaces. Open areas were heavily wind affected, while sheltered terrain still had soft powder.

A rain crust from mid-December extends up to about 1400 m and is now buried by the recent storm snow. A widespread November surface hoar layer lies 60 to 100 cm deep in sheltered treeline areas. While no recent avalanches have involved this layer, some snowpack tests results have been concerning.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 3 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 3 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

Regions covered