Avalanche Canada, in partnership with Parks Canada, Kananaskis Country, and the province of British Columbia, is issuing a Special Public Avalanche Warning (SPAW) for recreational backcountry users across the mountainous regions of western Canada. A dramatic increase in temperatures is expected to destabilize the snowpack, resulting in dangerous, destructive avalanches. This special warning is in effect immediately and will apply through the end of Monday, May 1. 

For a map of the SPAW region, click here. 

 The sudden transition from cool, wintry conditions in the alpine to warm temperatures will create dangerous avalanche conditions. The effect of the warm temperatures on the existing snowpack structure means that these avalanches will likely be very large and may run to valley bottoms. 

 “Dangerous avalanche conditions exist for all mountainous regions in western Canada and the hazard increases with each day of warm air,” explains Mike Conlan, a senior avalanche forecaster with Avalanche Canada. “Regions with persistent or deep persistent slab avalanche problems will be especially problematic, with avalanches potentially involving the full depth of the snowpack.”

 “Warming can also initiate large and destructive cornice falls. Cornices can be destructive by themselves but also act as a trigger for destructive deep persistent avalanches,” adds Conlan. 

 All backcountry users, including hikers and scramblers, and anyone recreating in avalanche terrain are advised to leave a wide margin for error during this warming period, stick to simple, low angle terrain, and avoid all overhead avalanche hazards. 

“We cannot stress the importance of this avalanche warning enough,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. “I urge everyone considering heading into the backcountry to take seriously the advice of Avalanche Canada. Sadly, fourteen people have lost their lives to avalanches in B.C. this year—many of whom were extremely experienced. Everyone needs to exercise extreme caution and make good decisions during this Special Public Avalanche Warning to keep themselves and our incredible search and rescue volunteers safe.”

Backcountry users should always check the avalanche forecast at www.avalanche.ca. Everyone in a backcountry party needs the essential rescue gear—transceiver, probe, and shovel—and the training to use it. 

This special warning is in effect immediately and will apply through the end of Monday, May 1.

Special Public Avalanche Warning for Western Canada

The new Avalanche Canada mobile app is available. Head to https://app.avalanche.ca/ to download it. 

Apple users will need to download the app in Safari and Android users will need to download using Chrome. (This is for the initial download only.)

Easy access to the daily avalanche forecasts, avalanche advisories, observations from other users, and remote weather station data

Get the daily avalanche forecast for your region, direct to your mobile device

Get hourly weather data from over 80 remote weather stations

Access to all submissions posted on our Mountain Information Network

Submit your own avalanche, weather, and snowpack observations quickly and easily to the Mountain Information Network

New Avalanche Canada Mobile App

Avalanche Canada is pleased to announce the recipients of the Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) Avalanche Safety Grant, which provides Avalanche Canada Training courses to four organizations serving IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) communities.

 “Avalanche Canada recognizes that some groups face disproportionate barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits in Canada,” explains Gilles Valade, Executive Director of Avalanche Canada. “We are very impressed with the work being done by these four organizations and are grateful to partner with MEC to provide them with avalanche safety education.”

Indigenous Women Outdoors is a non-profit that helps First Nations women and non-binary folks reconnect to their traditional territories and Indigenous roots through backcountry sports in the Sea-to-Sky area.

Mountain Mentors is a non-profit in the Sea-to-Sky area with the goal of creating backcountry spaces where everyone belongs and can safely participate.

The Howl Experience provides alternative outdoor education programs in the Rocky Mountains for Indigenous, low-income, and marginalized youth. 

Zero Ceiling, based in Whistler, aims to end youth homelessness in B.C. They provide opportunities for marginalized young adults to develop skills, confidence, and connections through mountain recreation. 

“We recognize that backcountry activities are not accessible nor representative of the diversity that exists in our communities,” says Rosie Langford, President of Mountain Mentors. “We are excited to be able to offer safe, empowering, and fun avalanche safety education to our community members."

Members of Mountain Mentors attended the Whistler Blackcomb Patrol Day last winter where they learned about avalanche safety and first aid best practices from avalanche and snow patrol professionals. Image by JoJo Das. 

Thanks to generous funding from MEC, each group is organizing an Avalanche Skills Training course with the provider of their choice for up to eight of their members.

 “MEC wants to celebrate and encourage inclusivity in the outdoors through community support. We've put a larger focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work we do with our national partners, which includes co-developing grants available to IBPOC-led organizations and supporting DEI training and development at partner organizations,” says Caitlin Brown, community manager for MEC. “The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant is an example of how, together with Avalanche Canada, we’re striving to make the outdoors more inclusive.”

 The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant was established to provide greater access to outdoor opportunities for racialized Canadians. Backcountry Access (BCA) also contributed to this initiative by providing two boxes of safety gear, each with eight sets of avalanche transceivers, shovels, and probes.

 Avalanche Canada is supported by MEC’s Outdoor Impact Program.

Indigenous Women Outdoors, Mountain Mentors, The Howl Experience, and Zero Ceiling receive grants for AST course

Four Organizations Serving IBPOC Communities Receive MEC Avalanche Safety Grant

After the roaring success of last year’s event, the Braap It Up! fundraiser returns this year. Braap It Up! runs until Monday, November 14, with early bird tickets available until Friday, November 4. Entries are $20 and there are only 5,000 available—which makes for some good odds at winning a brand new snow pony!

The grand prize for this year’s prize draw is a fantastic 2023 Polaris 850 RMK Khaos Slash 163 valued at $18,999. There’s also an early bird draw on Nov. 4, where we’re giving away an AST 1 or 2 course for one lucky winner and their friends. 

Every penny raised from this event directly supports Avalanche Canada’s snowmobile safety and outreach programs. And this year, 10% of the money raised will go directly the Al Hodgeson Memorial fund, which supports snowmobilers in taking recreational or professional level avalanche safety training. 

The event also has an online silent auction with great gear provided by our sponsors. There are lots of goodies up for auction, including airbags, superclamps, avalanche training, and trail passes. Get your bids in today.

These fundraisers are essential to AvCan and would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. We’re very grateful for their donations and commitment to avalanche safety. 

The Avalanche Canada Foundation Braap It Up! virtual fundraiser is back

MEC is helping Avalanche Canada make AST courses more accessible to all Canadians.                 

Avalanche Canada is proud to announce the return of the MEC Avalanche Safety Grant. This grant is aimed at non-profit organizations that serve racialized communities, and will allow more Canadians to safely learn about and access the winter backcountry.

Thanks to the generous support of MEC, this grant will fund up to four AST 1 courses this winter, for up to eight students per course. We are reaching out to organizations that meet the criteria to let them know of this opportunity. 

“Avalanche Canada recognizes that racialized communities face disproportionate barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits in Canada,” explains Gilles Valade, Executive Director of Avalanche Canada. “We are grateful to partner with MEC to reduce some of these barriers and enable even more Canadians to pursue outdoor adventures safely.”

Last year's program was a success and three groups took advantage of the grant to further their knowledge about backcountry safety. 

"We are honoured and grateful for our partnership with Avalanche Canada—especially for the successful and well-delivered AST 1 course in addition to the programs and services they provide. We became more confident as an organization when accessing the outdoors safely," said Leonard Maglalang, President of the K8 Mountaineering Club, who received the grant last year. 

Backcountry Access contributed to this initiative by providing two boxes of safety gear, each with eight sets of avalanche transceivers, shovels, and probes for use on these courses.

The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant is one part of our initiatives to ensure our programs and services are welcoming to all of Canada’s diverse population.

If you would like to apply or are aware of any organizations that would benefit from this program, click here for an application form.

MEC Avalanche Safety Grant Provides AST Courses for BIPOC Organizations returns for 2022-23

Avalanche Canada’s final forecasts of the 2021-22 season go out today, Monday, April 25. This marks the end of a record-setting season for us. Our team issued 2,307 avalanche forecasts—the most ever!

This was another year of growth as we expanded our forecast program to two new regions (Vancouver Island and Newfoundland) and added two new field teams (Vancouver Island and Northwest BC). We are the world's largest public avalanche forecaster by area and now issue bulletins for 16 regions from coast-to-coast and up to the Yukon.

The final forecasts will feature danger ratings for April 26–28. At noon on Thursday, April 28, all of our regions will switch over to spring messaging. Click here to learn more about the spring conditions icon and the conditions you may encounter. 

Thank you for reading our forecasts this season and using them to plan your trips into the backcountry safely. As we transition into the off-season, we are already looking towards next winter and ways to further improve our programs and services to Canadians.

Avalanche Canada issues record 2,307 avalanche forecasts this winter—the most ever

Record-Setting Forecast Season Comes to an End

A large avalanche observed by the Newfoundland field team in March 2021.

February 14, 2022, Revelstoke, BC: Avalanche Canada will publish the first-ever avalanche forecasts for Newfoundland and Labrador starting this weekend.

This pilot project will provide weekend forecasts for the Long Range Mountains, including Gros Morne National Park, for six weeks, from Feb. 18 to Mar. 26. 

“Avalanche Canada is proud to expand its reach by providing avalanche forecasts in Canada’s easternmost province,” says Avalanche Canada’s Executive Director Gilles Valade. “These forecasts will give residents and tourists a valuable tool to plan safe trips into the province’s dramatic winter backcountry.”

The Newfoundland avalanche forecast region.

An avalanche forecast provides valuable information about avalanche danger for a given mountainous area over a certain time. They feature danger ratings, avalanche problems, and details on snowpack, avalanche observations, and weather. Throughout the pilot project, forecasts will be published on Fridays and Saturdays at around 5 pm NT, on avalanche.ca and the Avalanche Canada app.

As with other mountainous regions of Canada, winter backcountry recreation is growing in Newfoundland. Snowmobiling has long been popular in the province, with more riders pushing into steeper ground. Backcountry skiing, snowboarding, and ice climbing is also growing quickly in popularity, and many people enjoy the mountains on snowshoes. This means many more people are recreating in avalanche terrain.

“Visitor safety is a top priority for Parks Canada and the information supplied by Avalanche Canada through these forecasts will be an excellent resource for visitors planning winter activities in Gros Morne National Park,” says Tambrae Knapp, Acting Field Unit Superintendent for Parks Canada in Western Newfoundland and Labrador. “The Park offers a variety of winter recreation opportunities. Having access to this tool and the educational resources available on the Avalanche Canada website will help visitors in their decision making as they plan their winter adventures.”

Our Newfoundland field team consists of Andy Nichols (right) and Peter Thurlow (left). Both are based in Rocky Harbour and each has a strong history of backcountry experience and professional-level avalanche training.

“Having grown up in Deer Lake, it gives me great pleasure to help produce avalanche forecasts in my home province,” says Andy Nichols, Avalanche Canada’s NL Field Team leader. “More and more people are recreating in our mountains each year, and I want to make sure they do so safely.”

Avalanche Canada is hosting a webinar on the forecast program this Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. NT. Register on our events page. 

See the backgrounder below for more information on Avalanche Canada’s programs.

Avalanche terrain maps are now located at many popular trailheads in the Long Range Mountains of western Newfoundland.

An avalanche forecast informs the public about the avalanche danger for a given mountainous area over a certain time. Avalanche Canada forecasts include danger ratings, avalanche problems, and details on snowpack, avalanche observations, and weather. Recreationists in Newfoundland can see the forecast at avalanche.ca/nl.

Avalanche danger is rated on a five-point scale of Low, Moderate, Considerable, High, and Extreme. Each level is defined by the likelihood of avalanches and their expected size and distribution.

Avalanche problems show what kind of avalanches are expected, where they are most likely to be triggered, how likely they are to be triggered, and the expected size. There are eight avalanche problem types that are used in forecasts. 

The details tab provides additional information on recent avalanche observations, snowpack conditions, and the weather forecast.

Learn more about using the avalanche forecast in Avy Savvy, our online tutorial.

In 2019, Avalanche Canada published specialized maps with terrain ratings for some of the more popular riding areas in the Long Range Mountains. These maps use the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES), which uses a three-point system to rate popular backcountry areas based on the potential for avalanches. The maps are posted at popular trailheads and are included in the online trip planner. 

Simple terrain contains little or no avalanche terrain and there are many options to reduce exposure. 

Challenging terrain contains well defined avalanche paths and exposure can be reduced with careful route finding.

Complex terrain is exposed to multiple avalanche paths and minimal options to reduce exposure.

The combination of ATES ratings and the avalanche forecast provides the best trip-planning information available. With this forecast pilot project, backcountry users in NL will be able to use the online trip planner to plan their weekend adventures. They will also be able to use the Avaluator trip planner, a tool supplied with the Avalanche Skills Training 1 course.

Avalanche forecasts will be provided for Newfoundland for first time ever.

Avalanche Canada Launching First Newfoundland Avalanche Forecasts

Avalanche Canada is pleased to announce the recipients of the Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) Avalanche Safety Grant, which is providing Avalanche Skills Training courses to four BIPOC-led organizations.

“Avalanche Canada recognizes that racialized communities face disproportionate barriers in accessing winter backcountry pursuits in Canada,” explains Gilles Valade, Executive Director of Avalanche Canada. “We are very impressed with the work being done by these four organizations and are grateful to partner with MEC to provide them with avalanche safety education.”

K8 Mountaineering Club of Alberta, an organization that supports Filipino-Canadians who enjoy hiking and climbing.

Colour the Trails Alberta, which creates safe spaces to encourage BIPOC individuals to take part in outdoor activities.

Rocky Mountain Métis Association, which aims to develop and enhance opportunities for Métis people in Kimberley, Cranbrook, Creston.

Indigenous Women Outdoors, a non-profit that helps First Nations women and non-binary folks reconnect to their traditional territories and Indigenous roots through backcountry sports in the Sea-to-Sky area.

"K8 Mountaineering Club of Alberta is grateful for the opportunity from Avalanche Canada, being one of the recipients of the MEC Avalanche Safety Grant,” says Leonard Maglalang, executive secretary of K8. “We believe mountaineering is for all walks of life and can transcend the perceived limits of our cultures and ourselves."

Members of the K8 Mountaineering Club on a recent winter camping trip near Nordegg, Alberta.

Thanks to generous funding from MEC, each group is organizing an AST 1 course with the provider of their choice for up to eight of their members.

“MEC wants to celebrate and encourage inclusivity in the outdoors through community support. We've put a larger focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work we do with our national partners, which includes co-developing grants available to BIPOC-led organizations and supporting DEI training and development at partner organizations,” says Caitlin Brown, community manager for MEC. “The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant is an example of how, together with Avalanche Canada, we’re striving to make the outdoors more inclusive.”

The MEC Avalanche Safety Grant was established to provide greater access to outdoor opportunities for racialized Canadians. Backcountry Access is also contributing to this initiative by providing two boxes of safety gear, each with eight sets of avalanche transceivers, shovels, and probes.

Avalanche Canada is supported by MEC’s Outdoor Impact Program.

K8 Mountaineering Club, Colour the Trails, Rocky Mountain Metis, and Indigenous Women Outdoors receive grants for AST course

Four BIPOC Organizations Receive MEC Avalanche Safety Grant

All of us at Avalanche Canada are thinking of those who have been affected by the ongoing weather-related disaster in southwest British Columbia.

Many major routes commonly used for backcountry access are restricted to essential traffic only. We encourage everyone to be aware of and adhere to the travel restrictions that are in place to support recovery efforts. Now is not the right time for recreational travel in many locations. Look for up-to-date guidance from sources like DriveBC or the Province of BC travel advisories website when planning your trip.

Please consider donating to charities, such as the Red Cross, that are collecting funds to help those who need assistance.

Backcountry recreationists in southwest BC asked to respect non-essential travel restrictions.

Avalanche Canada Urges Respect for Restrictions on BC Highways

Avalanche Canada's first forecasts for 2021-22 will be published Thursday, Nov. 25.  This year is particularly exciting as we’ve added Vancouver Island to our regions, and the North Rockies and Yukon regions will be receiving daily forecasts for the first time.

Here's what you should know about our forecasting program this winter:

We are providing regular forecasts for Vancouver Island for the first time! Thanks to long-term BC funding, we now have a three-person field team on Vancouver Island, supplying our forecasters with the data required for the daily bulletin. We’d like to thank the Vancouver Island Avalanche Centre Society for doing such great work over the past 15 years. We're grateful to be building on their success.

We also have a new field team in northwest BC, based out of Smithers. The team will be collecting local snow, avalanche, and weather information to augment our regional forecasts for that area. 

We will be publishing daily forecasts for the Yukon and North Rockies regions. When we started forecasting for these regions in 2019-20, we only published bulletins three times a week. Last winter, we increased that to four times weekly, and now we’re able to deliver daily forecasts thanks to an investment in more forecasting staff.

We have a field team in Newfoundland as well, helping us monitor conditions in the western mountains of that province. With their help we'll be launching a six-week pilot project later this winter, providing a regional forecast twice a week starting in February. We're excited about that!

Continuing from last year, our forecasts will be partly bilingual, and we will be issuing abbreviated forecasts by text. We will also publish morning updates if the weather overnight is significantly different than expected. All morning updates will be reflected in the forecast headline, so always double check in the morning in case you need to revert to your Plan B (or come up with a Plan C).

If we have a field team in your region, lucky you! Keep an eye out for them and make sure to say hi if you see them in a parking lot or mountain top. Be sure to follow your local team on Instagram and/or Facebook, where they will be posting regularly about conditions in your region. 

Check out our Forecaster Blog to find out more about early-season forecasting.

New forecast regions and new field teams in place for this winter.

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