Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 17th, 2026–Jan 18th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

South Columbia, Esplanade, North Selkirk, Dogtooth, West Purcell, Badshot-Battle, Central Selkirk.

Rugged travel conditions are the most readily found hazard.

Avalanche danger exists up high where cornices can trigger slabs in dry snow or through a thin crust.

Confidence

High

We are confident about the possible sizes of avalanches, should one release; what is less certain is the likelihood of triggering.

Avalanche Summary

Recent avalanche activity has been a mixed bag including:

A number of cornice falls triggered large wind slabs, size 2 to 2.5, in extreme terrain in the high alpine
Loose wet avalanches up to size 2 out of steep solar aspects at alpine and treeline elevations
A couple of natural persistent slabs in the West Purcells on Thursday, including a size 2 that was likely tree bomb-triggered in forested terrain, and a size 3.5 on glacial ice

Snowpack Summary

A widespread melt-freeze crust extends up to 2200 m in the Esplanades in the north end of the region and 2500 m in the Battle to the south. This crust may soften on steep south-facing slopes during the day. On all but southerly aspects in the high alpine, snow is dry and wind affected. Cornices loom large.

A surface hoar layer from in early January is buried around 1 m deep. The mid-December crust is now buried around 1.5 m deep, and is present up to 2300 m. Triggering these layers is unlikely under current conditions, and would require a large load like a cornice fall.

Weather Summary

Saturday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Sunday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Monday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for slabs before you commit to it.

Problems

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.

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.