Ursus Major South Bowl

Ursus Major South Bowl sits just beyond Balu Pass in Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park (BC). From the Connaught Creek parking you skin up the well-travelled Balu Pass uptrack, then drop slightly west into the broad south bowl beneath Ursus Major. The bowl is the main approach corridor for objectives like Christmas Couloir on the south face and the traverse toward Catamount Pass, so expect multiple existing tracks in settled conditions.

The terrain is a large, open alpine bowl with south-facing to south‑east aspects and a mix of mellow benches and steeper rollovers feeding into gullies that drain toward Cougar Valley. Overhead hazard is significant from the flanking walls and from the headwall leading to Christmas Couloir; the bowl also acts as a collection zone for debris from those features. In poor visibility it’s easy to be pulled into the steeper gullies and terrain traps on the west side of the bowl.

Solar effect is the main driver here: the south exposure heats quickly, producing crusts, loose wet avalanches and cornice/rockfall hazard on warm or clear spring days. Wind can cross‑load the upper start zones and the ribs below Ursus Major, so watch for stiff pockets over softer snow when you leave the main skintrack. Parties commonly use the bowl for both ascent and egress; give overhead slopes time to flush after storms or rapid warming before committing to long traverses under the walls.

The bowl lies inside Glacier National Park’s Winter Permit System. Daily area status, closures and seasonal restrictions change through the winter; you must check the current Winter Restricted Area map and avalanche bulletin before committing to travel in the Ursus Major South Bowl. Full regulations and daily openings are posted by Parks Canada. For current access and permit details see: Parks and route info.