Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2026–Jan 19th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Until we see a change in the weather pattern, the avalanche hazard will keep hovering in the moderate to low range. If good travel and killer views are your thing, right now is your time. If ski quality is what blows your hair back, treeline is your best bet for soft snow & good turns.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

A few small loose dry sluffs were noted today. Likely from wind induced sluffs off of major cliffs. No significant avalanches were noted.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar has been growing over the past few days with the cooler nights. Otherwise not much is changing, and backcountry users can expect a thin melt freeze crust on all aspects up to 2300m, and higher and thicker on solar aspects. Wind slabs are common at treeline and above from the strong winds over this past week with some areas stripped down to rock. A buried surface hoar layer is also being found down 50cm up to 2100m that has been producing results in the hard range.

The November crust is deeply buried in the snowpack down 120-200cm. Field tests on this layer over the past few days have produced no results from a deep tap test on this layer. There is still some concern for triggering this layer from thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

What will Monday bring? Well, its going to start with morning lows of -18 (2200m), then warm up to -6 by mid afternoon. Thin cloud will gradually build as the day goes on. Winds will basically be calm up to treeline. Above that expect a light NW breeze.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.
Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.