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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 20th, 2026–Jan 21st, 2026

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

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

While the green brick emerges west of us, BYK remains concerned about lingering, persistent weak layers: basal facets, which one person triggered on Tuesday and rode to a waist-deep burial, and the Jan 3 surface hoar, which has not produced an avalanche recently, but appears in random places and gives sudden planar test results.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

On Tuesday, just outside the Lake Louise ski area boundary, one person triggered a size 2, 40-70 cm deep on a west-facing, cross-loaded slope at 2450 m. They appear to be the 7th track down the slope and hit the sweet spot near a thin area that released the avalanche near the ground. The person was buried to their waist and lost their skis, but otherwise uninjured.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar growth is widespread, as the next persistent weak layer forms on the surface, while constant winds have blasted the alpine snow surfaces. Meanwhile, treeline areas are experiencing surface facetting, which is creating soft snow in some areas.

Deeper in the snowpack is a layer of surface hoar, down 50-60 cm, and still producing hard, sudden planar test results. While basal facets exist in thin snowpack areas, overall, the deep snowpack is stronger than usual.

Weather Summary

The strong ridge of high pressure dominating BC and AB remains stationary, with no change expected for at least another 7 days. Over the next week, expect clear skies, NW winds and cold temperatures, with lows on Thursday night down to -25. Weather models are calling for a pattern change starting around Tuesday, Jan 27, when the winds return to a westerly flow, temperatures moderate and light snow begins to fall.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.
  • Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.

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.