Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Dec 17 – 18, 2025Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low

Highlights

Recent snow will take time to stabilize.

As you travel check the bond of the new snow to the old surface. Back down if you encounter signs of instability.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–3

    New snow is most likely to be reactive

    • in wind-loaded leeward terrain features at upper elevations

    • in sheltered areas where it may sit over a weak layer of surface hoar

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

  • On Monday explosive avalanche control produced large avalanches (up to size 2.5) and also noted sympathetic avalanches.

  • Natural, large (up to size 3) slab avalanches were reported over the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 70 cm of recent snow was accompanied by strong wind. In sheltered areas, the new snow may rest on a weak layer of surface hoar.

The mid and lower snowpack are uncomplicated and relatively deep for the time of year. Snowpack depths in excess of 300 cm can be found at treeline elevations.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 10 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -18 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.

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