Avalanche forecast

Northwest Coastal

Dec 4 – 5, 2025Avalanche Canada
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Wind and rain have made their mark on the snowpack.

If you can get to terrain that was sheltered from the wind and above the rain line, you could find decent riding and low avalanche danger.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Recent snow and moderate to strong south through west wind has created wind slabs on leeward and cross-loaded slopes at treeline and above.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • If you are increasing your exposure to avalanche terrain, do it gradually as you gather information.
  • Shooting cracks, whumpfs, and recent avalanches are strong indicators of an unstable snowpack.
  • A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.
  • Be cautious of buried obstacles, especially below treeline.

Confidence

Low

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been reported since Monday.

If you are getting out in the backcountry, consider making a post on the MIN (Mountain Information Network). You can share riding conditions, avalanche or snowpack observations, even just a photo or two.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 35 cm of recent snow and moderate to strong southeast through west wind may have formed reactive wind slabs on leeward slopes. Due to recent freezing levels and rain, expect a refrozen crust near the surface around treeline.

Any surface hoar in the upper snowpack is only likely to be a concern in very isolated, wind-sheltered areas above treeline.

The snowpack is expected to be strong, with frozen crusts or dense, settled snow making up the mid and lower snowpack.

At treeline around Terrace we expect a snow depth of 100-150 cm. 200-300 cm around Stewart. This likely tapers with elevation to around 50 cm at valley bottoms. Many early season hazards are just below the surface below treeline.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Cloudy. 2 to 5 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 30-50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Average treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 35 km/h west ridgetop wind in the morning, dropping to 15 km/h. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 550 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 15 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 500 m, rising to 900 m.



More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

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