Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 14th, 2026–Jan 17th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

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.

As the temperatures begin to cool off on Thursday expect widespread crusts up to 2300m. Evaluate the quality of the freeze overnight. Strong winds have also created windslabs in alpine and treeline areas.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

A few windslabs on N and E aspects up to sz 2 were observed in the northern areas within Kananaskis at 2700m in elevation. There were also loose wet avalanche in the Kananaskis valley areas that ran to the valley floor in popular ice climbing areas such as King Creek.

Snowpack Summary

On Wednesday there was moist snow up to 2400m and above this elevation on more solar aspects. Winds were strong to extreme scouring the surface down to bare rock in many areas and building hard windslabs in the lee. Below 2100m a layer of surface hoar is down 50cm that may be a concern in isolated steep below treeline areas.

Overall the snowpack is settling rapidly with the warm temps which will benefit us in the long term as it helps strengthen the snowpack overlying the wea. For now though, the quality of the freeze overnight will have a big influence on stability. Expect widespread surface crusts that have developed with the warm temps and will likely make skiing challenging.

Weather Summary

Cooler temperatures move in tomorrow with a freezing level forecast for around 1300m. No new snow is forecast and winds will continue to be moderate out of the SW.

https://hpfx.collab.science.gc.ca/~fsg006/productviewer/ab/table/AB_Rockies_Forecast.html

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.

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.