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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 16th, 2026–Jan 17th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Below Threshold.

Regions

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

Rising temperatures will keep the danger elevated. Avoid lee terrain at all elevations as slabs need more time to settle.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast
  • Uncertainty is due to the extreme variability of wind effect on the snowpack.
  • Uncertainty is due to rapidly fluctuating freezing levels.

Avalanche Summary

On Friday at time of publishing no new avalanches have been reported.

On Thursday, observations of large avalanches ( size 3) where reported as being 24-36 hours old. A small persistent slab was remotely triggered and this supports the likelihood of human triggering of this avalanche problem.

A large natural avalanche cycle occurred during periods of rapid loading on Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Around 30 to 40 cm of snow accumulated over the past week. Extreme southerly wind means that even deeper deposits are found on northerly and cross-loaded slopes, while south-facing slopes remain scoured.

A weak layer of facets may be found around 70 to 100 cm deep. In shallow snowpack areas, the bottom half of the snowpack is composed of weak depth hoar.

Weather Summary

Friday Night
Cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 600 m.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 10 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 400 m.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.


More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind-exposed terrain.
  • Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

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.