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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 4th, 2025–Dec 5th, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Purcells, South Rockies, Dogtooth, East Purcell, Bull, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Strong winds at upper elevations may have created small isolated pockets of wind slab.

Assess steep slopes for dense or stiff snow before committing.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, a few size 1 wind slab avalanches were reactive to explosives in wind-loaded alpine features. Skiers were able to trigger small pockets of dry, loose snow sluffing in steep terrain features around 2000 m.

Snowpack Summary

At treeline and above, 3–8 cm of new snow sits on top of faceted snow or surface hoar. The upper snowpack is mixed: wind-affected in open areas and softer in sheltered spots, sitting on a crust buried 20 to 30 cm deep from early November. Lower in the snowpack, there are several crusts, and in some areas a weak, sugary facets can be found near the ground.

Total snowpack depths are roughly 60 to 80 cm, tapering quickly at lower elevations.

In many areas, especially below treeline, there is not enough snow to smooth out surface roughness or reach the threshold for avalanches.

Weather Summary

Thursday night

Mostly cloudy. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Friday

Cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Be cautious of buried obstacles, especially below treeline.

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.