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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Nov 20th, 2025–Nov 21st, 2025

Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Early Season
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Early Season
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Early Season

Regions

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

Watch for wind slab development in alpine areas on Friday as winds increase.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new natural avalanches observed or reported on Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

Limited early-season observations suggest a generally well-settled Rockies snowpack with no significant weak layers. Last week’s warm, wet weather produced a Nov 13 rain crust up to 2300 m. In the short term, this crust adds stability. 5–15 cm of dry snow lies at treeline and above, with (so far) little wind transport reported. Overall, early-season travel conditions are good, with treeline snow depths of 40–70 cm.

Weather Summary

No snow for Friday, but increasing SW winds (40-60 km/h in the alpine), freezing levels to 1700m, and treeline temperatures staying around -5C.

Click here for Environment Canada links to weather tables for the region.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Pay attention to the wind; once it starts to blow, sensitive wind slabs are likely to form.

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.