Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 15th, 2026–Jan 16th, 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

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

It remains uncertain how quickly a buried weak layer will recover, especially in areas at upper elevations that don't have a robust surface crust.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, reports from the region saw natural storm slab avalanches up to (size 2.5), a few cornice falls that triggered persistent slabs up to (size 3) from the slopes below.

With a cooling and drying trend on Friday, we expect avalanche activity to taper significantly until warmer weather arrives for the weekend.

Snowpack Summary

A 1 to 3 cm thick melt-freeze surface crust will likely exist up to 2200 m on all aspects. If the sun is out, this crust may break down and soften snow surfaces, especially on steep south-facing slopes. In the high alpine, where dry wind-affected snow exists, expect isolated pockets of wind slab and wind-affected snow surfaces. Large, overhanging cornices linger.

A surface hoar layer buried in early January may be found down 100+ cm. In some areas, snowpack tests have shown that this surface hoar is still preserved. The mid-December crust is now buried around 1.5 m deep, and is present up to 2300 m. Triggering these layers is considered possible with large loads, like a cornice failure or in thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Thursday Night
Clear skies. 20 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 800 m.

Friday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level valley bottom.

Saturday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Alpine temperatures 0 °C. Freezing level 2500 m. Alpine temperature inversion.

Sunday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Alpine temperatures -1 °C. Freezing level 2100 m. Alpine temperature inversion.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Recent wind has varied in direction, so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
  • Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.

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.

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.