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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 22nd, 2026–Jan 23rd, 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.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Banff, East Side 93N, LLSA.

This forecast area has a thinner snowpack than areas to the west. and in isolated areas, a basal facet layer is prominent.

There have been very few recent avalanches on this layer, and cold temperatures are expected to reduce its sensitivity; however, one person still triggered it on Tuesday, resulting in a waist-deep burial.

Confidence

High

  • We are uncertain about how quickly deep persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed or reported in this region on Thursday.

However, on Tuesday, there was a skiier triggered size 2 in a steep, cross-loaded and thin snowpack alpine slope in the Lake Louise Ski Hill backcountry.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar growth and faceting are widespread. Moderate to strong winds have blasted the alpine snow surfaces. The surface facetting is helping to a degree by creating soft snow in some areas.

Deeper in the snowpack is the layer of surface hoar, down 50-60 cm, and still producing moderate - hard, sudden planar test results, but no recent avalanches. At the ground, basal facets exist in thin snowpack areas, but overall, this year's deeper snowpack is stronger than usual.

Weather Summary

A ridge of high pressure remains with not much change for the forecast period. Expect cold temperatures (-15 to -25), mostly clear skis and light NW winds increasing to strong on Saturday. There is hope for a bit of snow and warmer temperatures starting late next week!

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.

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.