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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 16th, 2026–Jan 17th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Purcells, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Ymir, Crawford, Goat, Kokanee, Retallack, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Monitor the crust as it breaks down through the day.

If it is becoming soft, reduce your exposure to avalanche terrain.

Confidence

High

  • Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern; little change is expected for several days.

Avalanche Summary

A few small wet loose avalanches were observed on Thursday.

Avalanche activity is unlikely when there is a thick crust on the surface.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar is growing and could be something to watch when we get more snow.

A crust is on the surface on all aspects at all elevations. At higher elevations expect it to get thinner and less supportive.

A spotty surface hoar layer from early January is currently buried 50 to 100 cm. On south-facing slopes, this layer is a sun crust.

The remaining snowpack is generally well-bonded, with multiple crust layers present.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Above freezing layer (AFL) moves in around midnight at treeline and in the alpine.

Saturday
Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Above freezing layer (AFL) at treeline and in the alpine.

Sunday
Sunny. 20 to 40 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Monday
Sunny. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • A hard crust on the snow surface will help strengthen the snowpack, but may cause tough travel conditions.
  • Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.