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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 18th, 2026–Jan 19th, 2026

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

High

  • Uncertainty is due to the extreme variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed or reported on Sunday

A size 1 wind slab was reported on the Mountain Information Network along the Chickadee–Boom traverse on Saturday.

Snowpack Summary

A thin, skiable, temperature crust caps the snowpack in most locations that was created by above-freezing layers early in the week. 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

The ridge of high pressure continues. Models are showing strong NW winds at 3000m.

Monday

Sunny. 20 km/h northwest ridgetop (2650m) wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 600 m.

Tuesday

Mostly sunny. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop (2650m) wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C. Freezing level 100 m.

Wednesday

Sunny. 30 km/h northwest ridgetop (2650m) wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C. Freezing level 0 m

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.