Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 10th, 2026–Jan 11th, 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 possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

Crazy wind speeds and warming temperatures will influence the avalanche hazard for the next while. Watch both wind and temps closely during the days to come. Fortunately our snowpack's deeper layers can handle a bit of stress for now, but fresh wind slabs may not tolerate the warmth so well.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

Nothing significant today, but there were a couple of fresh windslabs popping out in steep lee terrain. Nothing major, just some small chunks, but enough to raise a flag if loading continues.

Snowpack Summary

Lots and lots of wind transport today. West was the prominent direction, but it did swing around to include most directions, except east. Expect widespread wind slabs at all elevations & aspects below 2250m. In the alpine, heavy scouring has left us with easy to find wind slabs on all easterly aspects. Deeper withing the snowpack the watched layers remain unchanged and don't appear to have become more reactive with the redistributed load. There was some isolated and predictable cracking within small pockets of fresh windslab today. Watch immediate lee areas and don't be surprised if a small slab fails.

Weather Summary

Wind and rising temperatures continue to be the story. Temperatures will rise from -4 to -1 tomorrow. Those are 2200m temperatures, so expect things to be warmer down low. There will also be some flurries tomorrow. And wind? Sustained 60km/hr winds at ridge top. Hold on to your hat out there.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.
Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.

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.