Global evidence guide · 34 destinations

Read the snow year without false precision.

Compare when snow arrives, what changes its quality, and which weather constraints can keep a helicopter on the ground.

Compare destinations See methods and sources

Three different questions

Climate, forecast and flight decision are not interchangeable.

01

What is typical?

Long-term climate evidence describes a range of past conditions, not your trip.

02

What is developing?

Forecasts and observations show the evolving storm, wind, temperature, and cloud.

03

Can today's plan work?

Pilots and guides combine local observations, terrain, aircraft limits, and alternatives.

Snow climate

A useful family name, never a quality guarantee.

Elevation, aspect, wind, storm history, and temperature often matter more than the regional label on a specific day.

Maritime

Frequent moisture, deeper bases, denser storm snow, and rapid loading.

Coastal British Columbia, Chugach, Iceland, Southern Alps

Transitional

A changing balance between maritime storms and colder continental periods.

Interior British Columbia, Tordrillos, Canterbury, Svaneti

Continental

Colder, drier snow with longer intervals that can preserve weak layers.

Tien Shan, Central Andes, Sun Valley, Central Asia

Polar

Persistent ice and snow, strong wind redistribution, and sparse observations.

Greenland and Antarctica

Measurement literacy

Four numbers that answer different questions.

A valley gauge, ridge plot, glacier, and operator tenure should never be treated as one site.

01

New snow

A timed depth observation. Wind can remove or multiply it within metres.

02

Season snowfall

The sum of measured new snow. It is not the same as maximum snow depth.

03

Snow depth

The settled snowpack at one point. Compaction can reduce it during continued snowfall.

04

Snow-water equivalent

The water represented by snow. It cannot become snow depth without a supported density method.

Our display rule

Every snowfall value needs a source, site, elevation when available, period, method, confidence, and caveat. Otherwise, we publish the data gap.

Audit the evidence

Helicopter weather

Snow can be excellent while flying is impossible.

There is no public flyability score. Each constraint interacts with terrain and the operator's approved system.

Visibility and ceiling

Cloud can hide ridges, landing zones, terrain contrast, or the route home.

Wind and turbulence

Strength, direction, gusts, rotor, and lee effects can remove safe options.

Temperature and icing

Freezing precipitation, wet snow, and temperature affect aircraft and snowpack decisions.

Light and surface contrast

Flat light and whiteout can erase visual references even without active snowfall.

Landing-zone conditions

Loose snow, cornices, slope, rotor wash, and escape paths affect every landing.

Margins and alternatives

Fuel, range, daylight, pickup options, and changing weather shape the daily plan.

The forecast stack

Move from the large pattern to the landing zone.

  1. 01

    Synoptic pattern

    Track fronts, pressure, moisture source, temperature, and storm timing.

  2. 02

    Mountain forecast

    Read elevation-specific precipitation, wind, freezing level, cloud, and uncertainty.

  3. 03

    Observations

    Compare stations, radar, satellite, webcams, recent snowfall, and wind transport.

  4. 04

    Operator assessment

    Guides and pilots test the forecast against local terrain and direct observations.

  5. 05

    Continuous reassessment

    The plan changes when weather, snow, visibility, or operational margins change.

Destination evidence directory

Every reviewed destination profile, one comparable contract.

13 profiles have an official observed reference, 21 use a reanalysis reference only, 0 have commercial evidence only, and 0 retain an explicit representative gap.

DestinationSnow evidenceClimateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPublic avalanche context
GreenlandGreenland928 mm SWE median · 852–1,095 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencepolarNo verified public bulletinNo verified public regional avalanche bulletin
Northern British ColumbiaCanada1,325 mm SWE median · 1,110–1,440 mm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinAvalanche Canada regional forecast map
IcelandIceland671 mm SWE median · 590–726 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinIcelandic Meteorological Office regional forecast
Tasman GlacierNew Zealand3.95 m published average · 2.58–5.32 m observed rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinNZAA Aoraki/Mount Cook region
Val d’Aran, CataloniaSpain406 mm SWE median · 340–442 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencetransitionalVerified public bulletinCentre de Lauegi Val d’Aran bulletin
Gulmarg, KashmiriIndia446 mm SWE median · 391–519 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalVerified public bulletinDGRE district avalanche warning bulletin
Almaty, KazakhstanKazakhstan598 mm SWE median · 526–637 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyKazhydromet weather and hazard warnings
Altai, KazakhstanKazakhstan542 mm SWE median · 494–603 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyKazhydromet weather and hazard warnings
AlaskaUnited States218 mm SWE median · 158–241 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencetransitionalVerified public bulletinAlaska public forecast-center directory
Carpathian MountainsRomania318 mm SWE median · 250–355 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyRomanian mountain weather and seasonal warnings
Methven, CanterburyNew Zealand2.40 m published average · 1.45–4.23 m observed rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencetransitionalVerified public bulletinNZAA Canterbury region forecast
Sun Valley, IdahoUnited States252 cm median · 179–329 cm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · moderate confidencecontinentalVerified public bulletinSawtooth Avalanche Center
Santiago, Central AndesChile671 mm SWE median · 554–822 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyDMC weather forecasts and warnings
Mount CookNew Zealand3.95 m published average · 2.58–5.32 m observed rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinNZAA Aoraki/Mount Cook region
Svaneti, GeorgiaGeorgia758 mm SWE median · 721–858 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencetransitionalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyGeorgia National Environmental Agency warnings
AntarcticaAntarctica54 mm SWE median · 48–61 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencepolarNo verified public bulletinNo public commercial avalanche bulletin
Troll Peninsula, IcelandIceland781 mm SWE median · 630–841 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinIcelandic Meteorological Office Northern Tröllaskagi forecast
Eastern British ColumbiaCanada746 mm SWE median · 602–870 mm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · moderate confidencetransitionalVerified public bulletinAvalanche Canada regional forecast map
Karakol, KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan310 mm SWE median · 279–346 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyKyrgyzHydromet weather and hazard information
Interior British ColumbiaCanada1,910 mm SWE median · 1,418–2,169 mm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · moderate confidencetransitionalVerified public bulletinAvalanche Canada regional forecast map
Chugach Mountains, AlaskaUnited States866 cm median · 690–952 cm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinChugach Avalanche Center and Alaska forecast directory
KamchatkaRussia365 mm SWE median · 342–399 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencemaritimeOfficial weather or hazard source onlyRoshydromet forecasts and warnings
Eastern TurkeyTurkey547 mm SWE median · 502–621 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyMGM MeteoUYARI avalanche and weather warnings
Lake BaikalRussia72 mm SWE median · 65–85 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyRoshydromet forecasts and warnings
Patagonia, South AndesChile and Argentina176 mm SWE median · 131–217 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencemaritimeOfficial weather or hazard source onlyChile DMC and Argentina SMN weather warnings
Bishkek, KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan227 mm SWE median · 198–258 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyKyrgyzHydromet weather and hazard information
CaucasusGeorgia544 mm SWE median · 504–581 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencetransitionalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyGeorgia National Environmental Agency warnings
RiksgränsenSweden77 cm median peak · 55–102 cm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinSwedish EPA Abisko/Riksgränsfjällen bulletin
Tordrillo Mountains, AlaskaUnited States237 cm median · 200–273 cm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencetransitionalNo verified public bulletinNo verified staffed public forecast for the full tenure
Manali, Himachal PradeshIndia1,097 mm SWE median · 903–1,195 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalVerified public bulletinDGRE district avalanche warning bulletin
Queenstown and WānakaNew Zealand3.10 m published average · 1.84–5.53 m observed rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencetransitionalVerified public bulletinNZAA Wānaka and Wakatipu regions
MendozaArgentinaGuide profile · destination page not published1,291 mm SWE median · 1,060–1,509 mm interquartile rangeTier C · modelled estimate · low confidencecontinentalOfficial weather or hazard source onlyArgentina SMN forecasts and early warnings
Bella Coola, British ColumbiaCanada820 mm SWE median · 659–1,034 mm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · low confidencemaritimeVerified public bulletinAvalanche Canada regional forecast map
Snowbird, UtahUnited States1,248 cm median · 1,025–1,438 cm interquartile rangeTier B · observed reference · moderate confidencecontinentalVerified public bulletinUtah Avalanche Center Salt Lake forecast

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