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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2026–Jan 11th, 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

South Rockies, East Purcell, St. Mary, Bull.

Remain cautious in wind-affected terrain at upper elevations.

Wind slabs have been reactive in the region.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday, two size 1-1.5 storm slabs were reported in this MIN post, and a small wind slab ski cut was reported in this MIN post.

On Wednesday, a size 1 wind slab was accidentally triggeredby a skier on a northwest-facing treeline slope. A size 2 naturally triggered wind slab occurred on the same aspect, but in the alpine.

Looking forward: We expect wind slabs to remain triggerable on Sunday.

Snowpack Summary

Wind slabs have formed at upper elevations on leeward slopes.

Around 30 cm of snow overlies surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, and a sun crust on steep south-facing slopes.

A melt-freeze crust buried in mid-December can be found down around 60 cm. This layer is most prevalent at treeline elevations and below.

A persistent weak layer consisting of a thick melt-freeze crust, with weak faceted snow and/or depth hoar, can be found near the ground.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Mostly clear skies. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level around 2100 m.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level around 2600 m.

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.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Avoid shallow snowpack areas, rocky outcrops, and steep terrain where triggering is most likely.

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.