Typical operating window
December–AprilSuccessive early-winter storms normally establish the base from November into December.Verified planning context
Snow, weather and avalanche context
Historical patterns help you compare trips. They do not predict your week or replace the operator's daily decisions.
Strongest comparable snow evidence
746 mm SWE median · 602–870 mm interquartile rangeRecord Mountain snow courseTier B · observed reference · moderate confidenceSnow character
transitionalA transitional climate can combine frequent snow with colder, lower-density surfaces than the coast.Public avalanche information
Avalanche Canada regional forecast mapMatch the exact tenure to its public region. Professional operator assessments can use additional observations unavailable to guests.Weather and flight context
Pacific moisture crosses several ranges, producing strong west-east and valley-ridge contrasts.
- Orographic cloud
- Ridge wind
- Cold valley inversions
Meteorological reference area
Eastern British Columbia catalogue subregions
- Includes
- Published eastern British Columbia trip locations.
- Excludes
- Northern, interior, and Bella Coola profiles.
- Elevation
- No verified operator-terrain elevation band is public. Each evidence value retains its site elevation.
Evidence pack
Measurements, claims and gaps stay separate.
Tier BPeak seasonal snow-water equivalent reference746 mm SWE median · 602–870 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Record Mountain snow course · 49.1000, -117.8667 · 1890 m · 3 km from the catalogue reference
- Period
- 1991/92–2014/15 complete snow seasons within the 1991–2016 archive
- Completeness
- 24 seasons with at least two valid observations; 170 observations used.
- Method
- Maximum SWE by October–September snow season; median and quartiles across valid seasons.
- Limitation
- The snow course represents one eastern British Columbia reference site.
- Canadian Historical Snow Survey DataEnvironment and Climate Change Canada · accessed 2026-08-25
Tier CModelled snowfall water equivalent402 mm SWE median · 362–511 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Eastern BC catalogue location ERA5-Land grid cell · 49.1000, -117.8000 · 1.7 km from Eastern BC catalogue location reference point
- Period
- Calendar years 1991–2020
- Completeness
- 360 monthly means; all 30 calendar years contain 12 values.
- Method
- ERA5-Land monthly mean daily snowfall accumulation was multiplied by calendar days and 1,000, then summed by calendar year.
- Limitation
- This reference area supports evidence discovery and comparison. It is not an operating-area or tenure boundary. This unadjusted 0.1° reanalysis grid cell is not an observation, snow depth, or terrain-wide total. Grid elevation and wind redistribution can cause substantial local bias.
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
Monthly evidence
Each cell keeps its measurement type and unit. Reanalysis water equivalent is not snow depth. Text-only cells preserve a representative data gap.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82.4 mm SWE | 58.1 mm SWE | 62.9 mm SWE | 23.8 mm SWE | 2.8 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 13.4 mm SWE | 80.1 mm SWE | 92.3 mm SWE |
Commercial operator assessment
Operator assessment process not independently verifiedThe operator must assess current snow, avalanche terrain, weather, aircraft limits, and rescue options. No private operational plan is inferred.
Sources and evidence notes
- WMO Climatological NormalsWorld Meteorological Organization · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land hourly data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-25
- Historical Climate DataEnvironment and Climate Change Canada · accessed 2026-08-25
- Published operator and trip inventoryHeliski International editorial team · accessed 2026-08-25
- Canadian Historical Snow Survey DataEnvironment and Climate Change Canada · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
- Avalanche Canada forecast mapAvalanche Canada · accessed 2026-08-25