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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2025–Dec 17th, 2025

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

Regions

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South.

Avoid avalanche terrain.
Heavy snowfall and wind have likely built dangerous storm slabs.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported this week. However, information is limited.
It's expected that natural avalanches will occur on Wednesday following the intense storm.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of snow has been blown around by strong winds and sits on a widespread melt–freeze crust, which is likely everywhere except high-alpine terrain.

A mid-November 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.

At treeline, snow depths range from roughly 50 to 100 cm, tapering off quickly at lower elevations.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 25 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 10 cm of snow. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid avalanche terrain during periods of heavy snowfall.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain; avalanches may run surprisingly far.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.