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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 7th, 2026–Jan 8th, 2026

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

Regions

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

There has been a fair amount of wind over the last week but good skiing remains in sheltered areas.

Watch out for windslabs and be on the lookout for buried surface hoar which may be found in some areas underneath the recent snow.

Confidence

Moderate

  • Uncertainty is due to the fact that deep persistent slabs are particularly difficult to forecast.

Avalanche Summary

LL ski hill reported touchy soft slabs 15-30 cm deep in alpine and treeline terrain on Wednesday. These were predictable and generally small but were triggered easily with wide propagations.

Sunshine triggered several soft slabs up to size 1.5 in west aspect treeline terrain. These were failing on a layer of surface hoar 20 cm deep in areas without much wind effect. So far, reactivity on this layer has been isolated to the SSV area so we have not added it as a problem yet.

Snowpack Summary

30-40 cm of storm snow has fallen over the past 4 days with continuous moderate SW winds forming fresh windslabs. In sheltered areas below treeline, this new snow sits on a layer of surface hoar buried on Jan 3, but this layer is not widespread, and not much slab has formed above it yet

There is 40-80 cm over the Dec 15 melt-freeze crust, which is present to 1800-2000 m, and 80-160 cm over the November facet/crust interfaces. In thinner snowpack areas, facets are present at the base

Weather Summary

A weak ridge is moving into the area bringing drier but windy conditions. Expect isolated flurries to continue on Thursday and Friday with total amounts of 5-10cm maximum. Winds will increase overnight Thursday to strong to extreme from the west on Friday and Saturday. Freezing levels are forecast to rise to close to 2000m on Saturday.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Approach steep and open slopes at and below treeline cautiously, as buried surface hoar may exist.
  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.

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.

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.