Dashboard Regions Weather Stations Radar Alerts Glossary
Contact About
Log In

Register for an account and never miss a forecast again!

Register

Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 23rd, 2024–Nov 24th, 2024

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

Regions

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

Recent snowfall has improved skiing conditions at higher elevations, though it's important to remain cautious of rocks and hidden hazards.

Winds are expected to remain light on Sunday, but be alert for potential increases in localized winds or snow transport, as this could lead to heightened avalanche danger.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Minimal new avalanche activity was observed today. Local ski hills reported a few size 1 avalanches triggered by explosives, primarily consisting of loose surface snow entraining mass in steep terrain.

Friday, Sunshine Ski Hill had several results failing on the October crust. A small hand charge triggered a size 2.5, a skier triggered a size 2, and numerous other smaller results.

Snowpack Summary

10-30 cm of low-density storm snow sits over an early-season snowpack ranging from 50-90 cm at TL. Two weak layers exist: a Nov 9 crust/surface hoar 25-40 cm above the ground, and an Oct crust/facet layer right above the ground. We have limited observations of how widespread this layer is, but we think the Oct crust is more prominent at treeline and above on Northerly aspects.

Weather Summary

Scattered flurries with minimal snow accumulation are expected to continue across the forecast region. Ridge-top winds will remain light to moderate in the alpine on Sunday, and temperatures will stay cool, with a daytime high around -10°C.

Winds may begin to pick up slightly starting Monday.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be aware of the possibility for full depth avalanches due to deeply buried 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.