Avalanche forecast

Lizard-Flathead

Jan 12 – 13, 2026Avalanche Canada
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Archived · expired 9 months ago

Avalanche danger

Wed
Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Reactive wind slabs have been catching people by surprise.

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

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible - Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Wind slabs have been reactive in the region, especially where they overlie a weak surface hoar layer. Strong winds have even affected openings below treeline in some areas.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Cornices remain a concern on Sunday. Avoid travelling on or under large cornices, especially if you see blowing snow.

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.

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.

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.

Regions covered