Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 18th, 2026–Feb 19th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

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.

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.

Up to 45cm of recent snow has given a great refresh, but be on guard for wind slabs likely to form with increasing wind Thursday morning. Forecasters expect a bump in the hazard level to CONSIDERABLE as these wind slabs could be very sensitive to triggering.

Confidence

Moderate

We are uncertain whether the wind will be enough to form new wind slabs.

Avalanche Summary

Several naturally triggered loose dry avalanches were observed today in steep terrain at Treeline and above. Almost all these slides were relatively small, but a few size 2.0 were observed, and a significant size 2.5 occurred on the SE face of Mt Smuts which ran quite far in the track. In addition, one small wind slab was observed in extreme terrain at 2900m on an East aspect.

Snowpack Summary

Between 25 and 45cm of recent storm snow now overlies previously formed sun crusts and hard wind slabs. So far, there has been almost no wind effect, but that is forecast to change on Thursday morning. The bond of the storm snow to the previous surfaces seems pretty good, but just the sheer volume of the recent snow is triggering loose dry avalanches in steeper terrain. As the winds begin to build wind slabs on the surface, forecasters expect a natural avalanche cycle that will fail on either the storm snow interface or a mid-storm layer.

As previously reported, the mid and lower snowpack is dense and strong with no significant weak layers observed.

Weather Summary

Thursday should be a mix of sun and cloud, with a chance of a few cm's in the evening. A cool morning should warm to about -12C midday. Winds will increase to 35-40km/h from the SW by early morning.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.
Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
Be careful with sluffing in steep terrain, especially above cliffs and terrain traps.

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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.