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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2026–Jan 19th, 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.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Northwest Inland, Boundary, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson.

Cornice failures and loose wet avalanches on sunny slopes are of concern.

It is uncertain how the continued warmth will affect the snowpack so watch for signs of instability.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Avalanche Summary

January 16 & 17

  • A few large (size 2) natural avalanches were reported. On south aspects they are loose wet and on north and east aspects they are cornice failures.

January 15

  • Large (up to size 3) explosive triggered persistent slab avalanches were reported near Shames.

  • Other operations in the region reported avalanche activity decreasing with cooler temperatures.

January 14

  • A widespread natural avalanche cycle (up to size 4) was reported.

Snowpack Summary

On the surface there is a crust and at lower elevations surface hoar is growing.

In terrain exposed to the wind, small wind slabs are forming on lee aspect terrain.

At treeline, very warm and wet surface snow has now become a melt freeze crust. Expect this crust to be supportive to ski and foot weight but may start to break down as the warm air lingers.

A layer of large surface hoar is buried 90 to 150 cm in sheltered treeline features. The mid and lower snowpack is well settled with no current layers of concern. Treeline snow depths throughout the region range from 250 cm to 450 cm.

Weather Summary

Sunday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C. Freezing level 3400 m.

Monday
Sunny. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 6 °C. Freezing level 3100 m.

Tuesday
Sunny. 20 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level 2500 m.

Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 2300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Limit exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes, especially when the solar radiation is strong.
  • Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
  • Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain; avalanches may run surprisingly far.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

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.

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.