Rogers Pass Winter Permit System

Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park is a popular backcountry ski touring destination with an average of 14 metres of snowfall a year. It is also home to the world’s largest mobile avalanche control program. This means that explosive artillery fire is regularly used on mountain slopes to protect highway and railway traffic from natural avalanches. The Winter Permit System separates skiers from these explosives and the resulting avalanches.

The Winter Permit System for the 2022-2023 season started on November 16.

Due to the avalanche control program, all slopes in Glacier National Park adjacent to the transportation corridor are officially closed in winter. The Winter Permit System was implemented to allow Parks Canada to open some of these areas for skiers and snowboarders with winter permits when avalanche control is not being conducted or anticipated. You need to know where you can ski and ride to be safe from artillery fire.

The Winter Permit System divides Glacier National Park into three types of areas:

Winter Restricted Areas
These areas may open or remain closed on any given day depending on planned artillery gunfire.

To enter these areas:
• The area must be open
• You must have a Winter Permit
• You must have a national park pass

Winter Prohibited Areas
These areas are closed to visitors all winter and illegal to enter. They are not open for skiing at any time.

Winter Unrestricted Areas
These areas are open to visitors all winter.

To enter these areas:
• You must have a national park pass

Rogers Pass checklist
Before you ski Rogers Pass, you must:

• Get your Winter Permit. We encourage all users to plan ahead and obtain an Annual Winter Permit online. Daily Winter Permits are only available at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre.
• Have a Winter Permit for every member of your group. Digital permits are accepted if you are unable to print a copy.
• Display a legible printed (on a printer – not hand-written) Winter Parking Permit (provided with your annual or daily winter permit) on the dashboard of the vehicle(s) you will be using. The license plate number on the Annual Winter Parking Permit displayed on the dashboard must match the license plate number of the vehicle that is parked.
• Check which areas are open today on the Rogers Pass Backcountry Access interactive map.
• Get a national park pass for every member of your group.
Daily passes: Available through an Automated National Park Entry Pass Machine at the Parks Canada administration office, 301B 3 St. W in Revelstoke or at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre.
Annual passes: Available by phone at 250-837-7500, online, or at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre.
• Understand the risks of backcountry recreation, how to travel in avalanche terrain and how to practice self-rescue techniques.
• Have an avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe for every member of the group.
• Check today’s Avalanche Bulletin to determine the current conditions.
• Carefully plan your route using online resources, maps, guidebooks and information from Parks Canada.
• Know before you go. Check DriveBC.ca for highway conditions and updates.

Avalanche control work is conducted to keep the transportation corridor open, not to make slopes safe for skiers or boarders. Anyone travelling into the backcountry must have avalanche training and appropriate safety equipment.

How do I get a Winter Permit?
Annual Winter Permits are strongly encouraged. Please plan ahead! Turn-around times for Annual Winter Permits can be up to a week or more depending on the volume of applications received. If you don’t have enough time to acquire an Annual Winter Permit, options for skiing at Rogers Pass are:

1. Ski an unrestricted area at Rogers Pass. You must be aware of area boundaries.
2. Visit the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre to acquire a Daily Winter Permit.

Annual Winter Permit
Parks Canada encourages all users to plan ahead and obtain an Annual Winter Permit online. Daily Winter Permits are only available at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre.

An Annual Winter Permit allows you to access open Winter Permit System areas without visiting the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre each morning.

You can apply online for your Annual Winter Permit and will receive the permit by email. You will need to have a digital or print copy of the permit with you while you are skiing or snowboarding in Rogers Pass. You will also need a print copy (on a printer – not hand-written) of the corresponding Winter Parking Permit to display on the dashboard of the vehicle(s) parked at the trailhead.

If you have questions about the Winter Permit System, please contact PArks by email at permit-mrg-permis@pc.gc.ca or by phone at 250-837-7500.