Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 11th, 2026–Jan 12th, 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.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Lizard-Flathead, Akamina, Flathead, Lizard, Moyie.

Reactive wind slabs have been catching people by surprise.

Be extra cautious in wind-affected terrain and give cornices a wide berth.

Confidence

Moderate

Uncertainty is due to limitations in the field data.

Avalanche Summary

Saturday:
Several size 1 to 1.5 slabs were reported in alpine and treeline terrain across the region. Skiers accidentally triggered wind slabs on Mt.Fernie (MIN post here) and in Cabin Bowl. A natural cornice-triggered avalanche was also reported - see photos.

Friday:
Several human, explosive-controlled and natural size 1 to 2 slabs and cornice falls were reported in the Lizard Range.

Looking forward:
We expect wind slabs and cornices to remain triggerable on Monday.

Snowpack Summary

Storm snow from the past week, combined with strong southwesterly winds and relatively warm temperatures, has built large cornices and wind slabs on leeward aspects, particularly near ridgetops.

Around 5 cm of new snow on Monday, accompanied by strong winds, will continue to build on existing slabs and cornices.

A weak layer of surface hoar can be found in some sheltered terrain features buried 40 to 60 cm. In other areas, a melt-freeze crust can be found at similar burial depths, up to around 2000 m.

The mid and lower snowpack currently has no layers of concern.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level around 1800 m.

Monday
Cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow, or rain below treeline. 45 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level around 2000 m.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 5 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level around 2300 m.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level rising to 3500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Keep your guard up at all elevations. Wind slab formation has been extensive and could extend into openings below treeline.
Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.
Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.

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.

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.