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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 6th, 2026–Jan 7th, 2026

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

Regions

Esplanade, Dogtooth.

Recent snow may not bond well to previous surfaces. Expect to find more reactive deposits around ridges and steep rolls. Conservative terrain travel is recommended.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.
  • Uncertainty is due to the timing or intensity of solar radiation and its effect on the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

Over the past couple days storm and wind slab avalanches up to size 2 have been reported throughout the region. These avalanches were triggered naturally, by skiers, and by explosives at all elevations. Most avalanches were triggered on north through east aspects.

Snowpack Summary

30 to 60 cm of new snow covers a variety of old surfaces, including surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain and a sun crust on steep south-facing slopes.

In the mid-snowpack, a melt-freeze crust from mid December can be found down 80 to 130 cm. This layer is most prevalent at 2000 m and below.

The lower snowpack consists of a thick melt-freeze crust, with facets and/or depth hoar near the ground in shallow areas.

Snow depths vary widely across the region, averaging roughly 100 to 200 cm at treeline.

Weather Summary

Tuesday Night

Mostly cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Wednesday

Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 15 to 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.

Thursday

Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Friday

Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 3 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
  • Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
  • Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
  • Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.