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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 26th, 2025–Nov 27th, 2025

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

Regions

Purcells, South Rockies, East Purcell, St. Mary, Bull, Crowsnest North, Elkford East, Elkford West.

In terrain where there is enough smooth snow for good riding, there is a possibility of human triggered avalanches. Slopes that are typically wind loaded are likely the most dangerous.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche reports have been limited.

Earlier in the week, west of Invermere, a small rider triggered avalanche was reported around treeline on a smooth, shale slope. Weak, sugary snow right above the ground was the likely culprit.

This type of avalanche would be possible anywhere else that this similar setup exists, likely where early season snow survived through November.

Snowpack Summary

Snowpack observations have been limited, but our snowpack models suggest that there is an average 55 cm of snow at treeline, tapering rapidly below.

The upper half of that snowpack is expected to be soft, recent snowfall, and the lower half is expected to be mostly frozen crusts or settled snow.

The snowpack generally seems to be right side up and strong, though some areas may have some weak sugary snow near the ground.

In many areas, especially below treeline, there is not be enough snow to overcome surface roughness and be above the threshold for avalanches.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night

Clear skies. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow at treeline. 0 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Friday

Mostly sunny. 3 to 4 cm of snow at treeline. 10 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Saturday

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

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • If it's deep enough to ride, it's deep enough to slide (avalanche).
  • Be cautious of buried obstacles, especially below treeline.
  • If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.

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.