Brought to you by

Avalanche Bulletin - 2026-01-23

In wind-loaded areas, backcountry users could potentially trigger small localized avalanches or larger avalanches in isolated areas. Share your most notable observations of the day with us by submitting a MIN.

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: 2026-01-22 @ 17:45, Valid until: 2026-01-23 @ 18:00

Danger ratings	Friday, Jan 23	Saturday, Jan 24	Sunday, Jan 25
Alpine	2 - Moderate	2 - Moderate	2 - Moderate
Treeline	2 - Moderate	1 - Low	1 - Low
Below Treeline	1 - Low	1 - Low	1 - Low

Travel advice :

Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
Seek out wind sheltered terrain below treeline where you can avoid wind slabs and find great riding.

Avalanche problem #1 : Wind slab
What Elevation?	Which Slopes?	Chances of Avalanches?	Expected Size?

Wind slabs will mainly be found in areas at the start of the alpine zone and at the tree line. They could vary in thickness from 20 to 50 cm and could be triggered by human activity.

Avalanche Summary

An avalanche crown in the Mélèzes Sud area was observed from the Ruisseau Isabelle parking lot. The wind slab avalanche appears to have been naturally triggered. If you have any information about this avalanche, please do not hesitate to contact us or submit a MIN report.

If you head into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

In alpine terrain and near treeline, we are finding a combination of wind-affected snow and overlapping wind slabs.

In wind-sheltered areas, there is 30–40 cm of low-density snow at the surface. Below 600 m elevation, a friable melt-freeze crust formed last Thursday is present at a depth of approximately 10–20 cm.

The December 20 crust is now buried at a depth of 60–110 cm. The faceted grains at its surface are slowly rounding and are becoming less reactive in stability tests. This layer appears to be gradually strengthening.

The average snowpack depth at mid-mountain is approximately 120 cm.

Weather Summary

A cold front will sweep across the region on Friday.

Thursday evening and night: Partly cloudy. Snow up to 2 cm. Winds from the west 20 to 50 km/h. Low −17°C.

Friday: Cloudy. Snow up to 2 cm. Winds from the west 15 to 40 km/h. High -19°C.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. Northwest winds 20 to 60 km/h. High -22°C.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Northwest winds 40 to 50 km/h. High -23°C.

Confidence - Moderate

We are uncertain about alpine conditions due to limited field observations.