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

Feb 15th, 2025–Feb 16th, 2025

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

Ski quality varies from awful in wind-exposed areas to passable in sheltered spots. Be cautious of lingering wind slabs, and continued facetting of the surface snow, which may sluff easily in extreme terrain.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Saturday, Sunshine Ski Area reported a small, loose dry cycle out of extreme terrain in the adjacent backcountry, likely caused by the sun. They also had some small results (size 1.5) with explosives of cornice-triggered wind slabs. Another cornice failed outside the boundary, and a small windslab was triggered again.

Snowpack Summary

Last week's storm snow has been redistributed into now aging wind slabs, which sit on top of the Jan 30 interface. Specific areas exposed to the wind may also have strastrugi. The mid-pack is generally weak with facets, while depth hoar over a crust forms on an even weaker base. The snowpack is the weakest in eastern areas where snow depths are low. In these areas, the basal weaknesses should be carefully considered. Here is a representative snow profile taken on Wednesday

Weather Summary

Sunday: 2-4 cm with light SE winds and -15C at treeline for most of the day. The trend of no snow in the long-term forecast continues.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.
  • Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.

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.