Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 22nd, 2026–Jan 23rd, 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, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Jasper, Brazeau, Churchill, Cirrus-Wilson, Fryatt, Icefields, Maligne, Marmot, Miette Lake, Pyramid.

Be extra vigilant with the deep persistent slab problem. It is one of the most difficult problems to assess, predict, and manage due to the high degree of uncertainty involved.

Give yourself a wide margin for error & safely manage your team and terrain.

Be cautious in thin or variable snow spots.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

Field team in Rampart area on Tuesday reported a few solar triggered size 1.5. Also, outside Lake Louise ski area on the Vortex run (Pipestone area) a skier triggered a size 2.5, took a 200m ride, buried up to waist, uninjured but lost equipment. It was a 40 degree slope, W-NW aspect, 2500m, 40-80cm deep crown, 60m wide, and 200m long releasing near the ground. It was triggered in a cross loaded shallow spot feature.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar and/or surface faceting continue to grow and can be found up to 2700m and likely higher. Otherwise, surfaces are firm and wind impacted. Soft snow remains in sheltered areas. Solar slopes host variable old crusts, especially on steeper aspects. The snowpack is generally deeper in the Icefields and shallower at Maligne lake.

Weather Summary

Dry, cold conditions are expected with a mix of sun and cloud. Isolated flurries Friday and Saturday may bring trace precipitation, with Sunday staying dry. Alpine temperatures remain cold, with lows near -14 °C and highs from about -14 °C to -9 °C. Winds are mostly light with occasional gusts to 30 km/h, and the freezing level stays at valley bottom.

Terrain and Travel Advice

Avoid areas with a thin or variable snowpack.
Make observations and continually assess conditions as you travel.
Be mindful that deep instabilities are still present in the snowpack.

Problems

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.