Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 25th, 2026–Jan 26th, 2026

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Kananaskis, Bow Valley, Highwood Pass, North 40, Spray - KLakes.

The avalanche hazard is LOW. The deep basal weak layer is unlikey to get triggered but possible in thinner snowpack areas with rocky features.

Confidence

High

We are confident due to a stable weather pattern.
The snowpack structure is well understood.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches have been observed or reported in a few days.

Snowpack Summary

4-8 cm of snow has fallen in the last 2 days and is now sitting on top of a widespread layer of surface hoar up to 2500m.

The warm temperatures last week developed a prominent surface crust on south aspects and a thinner crust on all aspect up into the lower alpine elevations. The snowpack is generally well settled with the November crust evident deeper in the snowpack down 150cm and an isolated surface hoar layer down 30-50cm. Both of these layers have been unreactive in tests and there has been no recent avalanche activity on these interfaces. Thin areas where the snowpack is highly variable are places where the deeper layers may be reactive.

Weather Summary

Monday will warm up to -9c in the Alpine, along with sunny skies and 60km/hr winds from the NW. Only a few cm's of snow forecast for this week.

https://hpfx.collab.science.gc.ca/~fsg006/productviewer/ab/table/AB_Rockies_Forecast.html

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
Avoid steep terrain that is rocky and thin.
Avoid steep terrain, including convex rolls, or areas with a thin, rocky, or variable snowpack.

Problems

Deep Persistent Slabs

Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.