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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 23rd, 2026–Mar 24th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Incoming snow and wind on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday will increase the hazard, especially at higher elevations. This will contribute to new avalanche problems and may be enough to trigger deeper instabilities and larger avalanches. Lower elevations have a refrozen snowpack and few concerns, though travel may be difficult.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain due to the timing, track, and intensity of the incoming weather system.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed today.

Further evidence of the widespread avalanche cycle that occurred over the past week, with many size 2-4 avalanches failing on storm or persistent weak layers at treeline and above, and wet loose avalanches at lower elevations.

Snowpack Summary

5-40 cm of soft snow above 2000 m (depending on elevation and location) over the March 20 rain crust, with some new suncrusts on solar aspects. New wind slabs in lee alpine and treeline areas from strong SW winds the past two days. The Jan 24 facet layer is down 100-180 cm at treeline and in the alpine, with some tests still giving hard, sudden results. The Mar 20th crust is present below ~2300 m and gets thicker as you go lower, with only a dusting of new snow on it at valley bottom.

Weather Summary

Tuesday

Cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 30-50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature steady near -6°C.

Wednesday

Mostly cloudy. An additional 10 to 20 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, decreasing in the afternoon. Treeline temperature -5°C dropping in the afternoon.

Thursday

A ridge of high pressure is starting to build.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Give the new snow several days to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.
  • Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.

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.