About Moyie

This page shows the current backcountry snow report, avalanche forecast, and weather conditions for Moyie. Check the danger rating, field observations, and Doctor's Orders summary above before heading out.

The Moyie region spans the southern Purcell Mountains between Cranbrook and the Alberta border, encompassing the Moyie River drainage and the Yahk Range terrain that defines the southern limit of the Purcell arc. This is a broad, lower-elevation region where the Purcell Mountains diminish in height and glaciation, producing a landscape dominated by forested mid-elevation terrain, open subalpine benches, and exposed rocky ridgelines above treeline. Highway 3 and Highway 95 provide access to the region's periphery, and most objectives require forest service road access and significant approach travel on skis or snowshoes. The snow climate in the Moyie region is the driest of the Purcell subregions, positioned furthest from the Columbia wet belt precipitation track and most exposed to the continental influence from the east. Snowpack depths are lower than regions to the north and west, and the snowpack structure is more variable and facet-prone than the interior wet belt. Cold Arctic air intrusions from Alberta are more frequent and prolonged in this part of the Purcells, creating conditions for depth hoar development and persistent slab formation that can remain a serious concern even when storm slab hazard has subsided. Careful snowpack assessment is warranted regardless of the forecast danger rating in this region.

Terrain within this zone includes: Cranbrook, Moyie Lake, Yahk, Creston, Fort Steele, Southern Purcells.