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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 13th, 2026–Jan 14th, 2026

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

Regions

South Coast Inland, Birkenhead, Duffey, South Chilcotin, Stein, Taseko.

Cornices growth during the storm was extensive.

Give slopes threatened by cornices a wide berth and keep well back from the edge when travelling along ridges.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to how the snowpack will react to the forecast weather.

Avalanche Summary

On Monday, numerous wet loose avalanches were reported up to size two in the Duffy Lake area.

Two explosives controlled size 3 avalanches were reported that may have released down to an early November weak layer.

Snowpack Summary

A significant rain and warming event has saturated the upper snowpack up to 2300 m.

Clear overnight skies and dropping freezing levels have likely started to form a surface crust. Below this the snowpack remains moist.

The mid pack is settling rapidly and increases in resistance.

The lower snowpack is well consolidated snow and two melt-freeze crusts from early season.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night
Clear skies. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 3200 m.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 mm of rain at treeline. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2000 m.

Thursday
Sunny. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Friday
Sunny. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
  • Triggering deep layers is more likely if the snow surface didn't freeze overnight.
  • Carefully manage your exposure to overhead hazards.

Problems

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.

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.