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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 2nd, 2026–Jan 3rd, 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 possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Esplanade, Dogtooth, East Purcell.

Watch for reactive wind slabs at higher elevations, especially where the snowpack is thin or variable.

Confidence

High

  • Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.
  • Uncertainty is due to the complexity of the snowpack’s structure.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, a naturally triggered size 2.5 slab avalanche was observed near Golden, likely due to warming alpine temperatures and strong solar input. The slide released on a steep, wind-loaded, ridgetop slope with a generally shallow snowpack. See MIN report here.

A size 1.5 skier-triggered avalanche occurred near Panorama on Wednesday in a very shallow area (~50 cm deep), likely failing on a layer of facets. See MIN report here.

Snowpack Summary

The upper snowpack continues to settle and strengthen. Light snow beginning Saturday morning will gradually bury a variety of old surfaces, including surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain and a sun crust on steep south-facing slopes.

In the mid-snowpack, a melt-freeze crust exists that was buried in mid-December. This layer is most prevalent at treeline elevations and below.

The lower snowpack consists of a thick melt-freeze crust, with weak faceted snow and/or depth hoar near the ground in areas.

Snow depths vary widely across the region, averaging roughly 100 to 200 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. Trace amounts of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 8 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.