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

Jan 19th, 2026–Jan 20th, 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, Little Yoho, Banff, East Side 93N, Kootenay, Lake Louise, LLSA, Sunshine, West Side 93N, Field.

Good skiing can still be found in sheltered treeline and below treeline areas.... but bad skiing can also be found :)

Some alpine windslabs are starting to facet out and provide softer turns.

Enjoy the beautiful blue sky days!

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed or reported on Monday.

Snowpack Summary

Widespread surface hoar has formed on the surface of the snowpack, overlaying a thin, skiable, temperature crust in most locations. This will vary with each valley.

Widespread wind effect is found in the alpine and down into treeline elevations.

In several locations through the region, the January 3rd surface hoar layer exists down 30-100 cm and has been reactive in tests and occasionally with human loads.

Basal facets exist in thinner snowpack areas.

Weather Summary

A high-pressure system is expected to remain over the Rockies through the week. A gradual cooling trend will bring temperatures down to as low as −25 later in the week. Ridge winds will be moderate from the north.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be careful 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.

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.

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.