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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 14th, 2026–Jan 15th, 2026

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

Regions

Kootenay Boundary, Purcells, Bonnington, Grohman, Kootenay Pass, Norns, Ymir, Crawford, Kokanee, Valhalla, Whatshan.

Avalanche danger will drop as temperatures drop.

It's uncertain how quickly a buried weak layer will recover.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.
  • Uncertainty is due to the fact that persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Avalanche Summary

On Wednesday, avalanche control produced several large (size 2.5) wet slabs near Kootenay pass.

On Monday and Tuesday, high temperatures caused a natural avalanche cycle. Producing many large (size 2-3) persistent slabs, wet slabs, and wet loose avalanches. There were also a few very large (size 3.5) persistent slabs.

Snowpack Summary

Freezing levels have likely gone above mountain top on Wednesday and with cooling temperatures forecast a surface crust is expected to form.

In the high alpine, up to 40 cm of recent snow has been redistributed by strong southwest winds.

A surface hoar layer currently buried 50 to 120 cm has been the failure layer in many recent avalanches. On south-facing slopes, this layer is a sun crust.

The remaining snowpack is generally well-bonded, with multiple crust layers present.

Weather Summary

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear skies. 40 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Thursday
Mostly sunny. 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

Friday
Sunny. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Saturday
Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 3000 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

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.