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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 24th, 2025–Dec 25th, 2025

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

Regions

East Purcell, St. Mary.

Carefully assess steep slopes for fresh wind slabs before committing.

You can find great riding in sheltered terrain with no wind effect.

Confidence

Moderate

  • The snowpack structure is generally well understood.
  • Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain.

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, two size 1.5 cornices fell in the Panorama backcountry.

No slab avalanches have been observed in the region since last Saturday.

Looking forward, we expect fresh wind slabs may be triggerable on Thursday.

If you are travelling in the mountains, please submit any observations to the Mountain Information Network.

Snowpack Summary

Around 5 to 10 cm fell on Wednesday, and another possible 5 cm is expected overnight. Combined with forecast moderate southwesterly winds, we can expect new wind slabs to form at upper elevations.

A crust from mid-December crust can be found down 40 to 80 cm which is present up to approximately 2100 m. This crust seems well bonded and is not concerning at this time.

A persistent weak layer from mid-November made up of a thick crust with overlying facets, and in some cases surface hoar, remains a concern. In eastern parts of the region, it is buried 70–110 cm deep, and up to 180 cm in western areas with a deeper snowpack. In most areas, faceted grains overlie the crust.

Depth hoar is present at the base of the snowpack.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

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

Saturday
Sunny. 5 to 15 cm of snow from Friday night. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.

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.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.

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.