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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 29th, 2026–Jan 30th, 2026

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

Regions

Yukon, Tutshi, Wheaton, White Pass East, White Pass West.

Wind slabs are nothing new for White Pass, but buried surface hoar on a hard bed surface could lead to surprising reactivity. Add persistent slabs to your assessment in thin snowpack areas.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

No avalanches have been reported since before January 16, but new snow and wind have been working to change that. Observations are still limited, so be sure to post yours to the MIN if you get out!

Snowpack Summary

A wind-redistributed 15 to 30 cm accumulated in the region since January 26, heavily favouring White Pass.

It buried heavily wind-affected surfaces in most areas but also a crust (up to 10 cm thick) below 1300 m and on south aspects. Surface hoar is preserved in sheltered features at all elevations and will certainly promote reactivity where slabs form over it. Farther inland there likely isn't enough new snow for this.

A weak layer of facets is buried a variable 70 to 200 cm deep and continues to produce hard but sudden test results. It's a concern in thin-to-thick spots in White Pass and is the main concern in shallower inland areas, where the bottom half of the snowpack is also composed of weak depth hoar.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Cloudy with isolated flurries and minimal accumulation. 15 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Friday
Cloudy with afternoon flurries bringing 2 to 3 cm of new snow. 15 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Saturday
Becoming mostly cloudy after scattered flurries bring 2 to 4 cm of new snow. 15 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing over the day. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries and minimal accumulation. 15 to 40 km/h east or southeast ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.

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.