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Wind slabs are always reactive to skiers passing by and easy to find in alpine terrain and at treeline. Be on the lookout for signs of instability so you can make the best travel choices for your day, especially during the descent.
Areas concerned: Mont Albert, Mont Ernest-Laforce, mont Hog's Back, Champs-de-Mars, mont Lyall, mont Vallières-de-Saint-Réal, mont Blanche-Lamontagne et Mines-Madeleine
Issued on: 2026-02-19 @ 17:15, Valid until: 2026-02-20 @ 18:00
| Danger ratings | Friday, Feb 20 | Saturday, Feb 21 | Sunday, Feb 22 |
| Alpine | 2 - Moderate | 2 - Moderate | 2 - Moderate |
| Treeline | 2 - Moderate | 2 - Moderate | 1 - Low |
| Below Treeline | 1 - Low | 1 - Low | 1 - Low |
Travel advice :
| Avalanche problem #1 : Wind slab | |||
| What Elevation? | Which Slopes? | Chances of Avalanches? | Expected Size? |
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Wind slabs will remain reactive to skiers on Friday. With favorable winds from the northwest, the snow available for transport will gradually add to these slabs, making them thicker. These wind slabs are particularly reactive because they rest on sun crusts or hardened snow, providing an excellent sliding surface. The thickness of the wind slabs varies from 10 to 50 cm. A problematic layer has been observed in the Mines Madeleine sector as well as in certain areas on the coast. In these sectors, the wind slabs rest on a layer of very large frosted grains buried between 10 and 50 cm deep. Recent tests show that it is easy to trigger these wind slabs when skiing on these aspects. This problem is especially noticeable below ridges and in areas of snow accumulation. The fragile layer is mainly found on southeast to northwest-facing slopes. |
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No new avalanches reported or observed.
If you head into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Recent snow has been slightly transported on the east, southeast, and south slopes and lies on a variety of surfaces: wind-packed snow, rocky areas, old wind slabs, sun crusts, and, below the tree line, on lighter snow.
In the Madeleine Mines sector, as well as in some areas on Ernest-Laforce and on the coast, a layer of large frosted grains is buried under 20 to 50 cm of wind slabs, producing very easy results when tested on east to northwest aspects.
The average snowpack depth at mid-mountain is approximately 120 cm.
WEATHER FOR THE CHIC-CHOCS RIDGES AND PEAKS
Friday is expected to be cold, with variable skies and a chance of light precipitation.
Thursday evening and overnight: Intermittent snow. Accumulation of 2 to 4 cm. Winds from the northwest at 20 to 40 km/h. Low -18°C.
Friday: Sunny and cloudy. Winds from the northwest at 20 to 40 km/h. High of -17°C.
Saturday: Intermittent snow up to 5 cm. Winds from the north at 20 to 40 km/h. High of -6°C.
Sunday: Sunny. Winds from the north at 20 km/h. High of -6°C.
For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine weather forecast.
We are uncertain about how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.