Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Possible
- Size
- 1–2
Wind slabs may be slow to stabilze as cold temperatures continue to facet the snowpack.
Avalanche forecast
View on mapYukon
Dec 27 – 28, 2025Avalanche Canada
Archived · expired 9 months ago
Avalanche danger
Mon
Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
No rating
Highlights
New snow falling won't stick to the cold snow surface well.
Be cautious in areas that have been loaded with snow by the wind.
Avalanche problems
Confidence
Moderate
- Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
Avalanche Summary
Observations are limited due to extreme cold. The most recent avalanche observation was a size 2 wind slab which occurred on a south aspect near Tutshi Lake on Monday. Given the cold temperatures, ongoing wind, and lack of recent observations, it is best to assume wind slabs may still be lingering in leeward terrain features in wind-affected terrain.
Snowpack Summary
The upper snowpack is heavily wind affected, with widespread sastrugi and hard wind slabs in open terrain. Cold temperatures are faceting the snowpack, allowing wind slabs to persist longer than usual.
Surface facets have formed and the new snowfall this weekend is expected to bond poorly to this weak surface layer.
Snowpack depths vary widely due to wind, but average around 100 cm across the region.
Weather Summary
Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -23 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -21 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -23 °C.
Monday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -24 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
- Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.