Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 16th, 2022–Dec 17th, 2022

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

Regions

Cariboos, North Rockies, Clearwater, McBride, Quesnel, Sugarbowl, Kakwa, McGregor, Pine Pass, Renshaw, Robson, Tumbler.

Keep backcountry travel low-risk and close to the car. With really cold temperatures and some of the shortest daylight hours of the year, any sort of incident (even broken equipment) could quickly become an epic.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days in the region.

Please continue to share any observations of photos on the Mountain Information Network!

Snowpack Summary

40-80 cm of snow continues to bond and settle over a generally weak sugary, facetted mid and lower snowpack. Isolated pockets of wind slab persist in wind-exposed terrain at higher elevations.

Snowpack depths are highly variable, ranging from 80-180 cm in the alpine. Below treeline the snowpack is thin and sugary making it a challenge to access terrain in many areas without damaging your sled or skis.

Weather Summary

Friday night

Cloudy, windy, and dropping temperatures. Isolated flurries with trace accumulation. Northwest wind gusting to 40 km/hr. Overnight lows -28 C.

Saturday

Cold, grey, and windy. Moderate to strong northeast wind, winds will be strongest in the north near Pine Pass and Mt. Murry and tapper as you travel south towards Kakwa and Valemount. Isolated flurries possible, higher chance on the eastern slopes of the Rockies. Daytime high temperature -20 C.

Sunday

Colder, the arctic air settles in. Cloudy and moderate northeast wind. Daytime high temperature -20 C.

Monday

Very cold, a bit less windy. Moderate northeast wind, daytime high temperatures -27 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.
  • Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
  • Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.