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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 21st, 2025–Dec 22nd, 2025

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

Regions

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

Watch for changing conditions as you shift elevation and aspect - wind affected features may remain reactive to human triggers.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.
  • Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, numerous explosive-triggered persistent slab avalanches, up to size 3, were reported in the alpine. These avalanches failed on a crust approximately 100 cm below the surface.

Over the past three days, human and explosive-triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 2 have been observed. With light snowfall and wind in the forecast, we expect continued reactivity of wind loaded features.

Snowpack Summary

50 to 80 cm of recent snowfall combined with strong west/southwest winds has formed slabs over the 5 to 15 cm thick crust (see photo below).

A prominent crust is buried 100–150 cm below the surface in terrain above 1800 m. At lower elevations the mid and lower snowpack is moist to the ground.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 200 m.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 15 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 25 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs are most reactive during their formation.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.