Avalanche forecast

South Rockies

Dec 19 – 20, 2025Avalanche Canada
View on map
Archived · expired 9 months ago

Avalanche danger

Sun
Mon
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map

Highlights

Storm slabs remain reactive to human triggers, especially in wind affected terrain.

Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely - Possible
    Size
    2–3

    Triggering deeper weak layers is most likely to occur in isolated alpine areas where a supportive crust below the recent snow is not present.

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–3

    Up to 70 cm of recent snow and strong west winds have formed fresh storm slabs that will be most reactive in wind affected terrain.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, several explosive triggered storm slab avalanches up to size 2 were reported on north and easterly aspects in the alpine.

Snowpack Summary

45-70 cm of recent snow and strong west winds have formed slabs overlying a thick crust.

Above 1800 m, a crust is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. Beneath it, the snowpack contains several additional crusts, and in some locations, a weak, sugary facet layer near the ground.

Below 1800 m, the mid/lower snowpack is moist to ground in most areas.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Make conservative terrain choices and avoid overhead hazard.
  • Avoid freshly wind-loaded features, especially near ridge crests, rollovers, and in steep terrain.
  • Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.

Regions covered