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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 8th, 2026–Jan 9th, 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, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

Use caution in wind-affected terrain; reactive wind slabs have been reported in the region.

For the best and safest riding, seek out soft, unaffected snow at lower elevations.

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, there were reports of reactive wind slabs triggered by explosives and riders up to size 1.5. Dry loose sluffs were also reported.

Looking forward: Wind slabs may remain reactive, especially in the south of the region, which saw up to 15 cm of snow and strong winds on Wednesday night.

Snowpack Summary

Up to 15 cm of new snow fell near Castle Mountain on Wednesday night. Strong to extreme winds have stripped southwest alpine features and developed wind slabs low in the terrain and in lee and cross-loaded features. In parts of the region, a weak surface hoar layer may be buried around 40 cm.

The mid-snowpack is wind-pressed and consolidated with a melt-freeze crust that is widespread at treeline and below, and generally absent in alpine terrain.

Near the bottom of the snowpack, a crust with facets is considered unlikely to trigger, except with large loads or in thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Mostly clear skies. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.

Friday
Mix of sun and cloud. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level rising to 1400 m in PM.

Saturday
Sunny. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level around 1700 m.

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.
  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.

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.