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 12th, 2026–Jan 13th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Crowsnest North, Crowsnest South, Elkford East, Elkford West.

7:25 AM Update: Be on the lookout for new slabs at higher elevations and wet snow down low. Remain cautious in wind-affected terrain, especially if you see blowing snow.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, a large wind slab—possibly triggered by a cornice fall—was reported near Gladstone Mountain in the southern part of the region.

On Friday, explosive control triggered a size 2 wind slab out of a lee crossloaded slope in the alpine.

Looking forward, wind slabs may remain reactive to human triggering on Tuesday.

Snowpack Summary

Strong to extreme southwesterly winds have caused widespread wind effect in open terrain, forming hard and soft wind slabs, sastrugi, and scouring windward slopes.

In parts of the region, a buried surface hoar layer may exist roughly 40 cm below the surface.

The mid-snowpack is well consolidated, with a thick melt-freeze crust present at treeline and below, but generally absent in the alpine.

Near the bottom of the snowpack, a crust with facets is considered unlikely to trigger, except with large loads or in thin snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

Monday Night
Cloudy. 0 to 5 cm of snow, locally 15 cm. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Tuesday
Cloudy. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 2100 m.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 5 °C. Freezing level rising to 3500 m.

Thursday
Sunny. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1400 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.
  • Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.
  • Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
  • Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
  • Keep in mind that the high density of wet avalanches can make them destructive.

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.

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.