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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 8th, 2025–Dec 9th, 2025

Alpine
Natural and human triggered avalanches likely.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

Strong winds and heavy snowfall are expected Monday night. The avalanche danger rises to HIGH Tuesday, with natural and human-triggered avalanches likely.

Mt. Stephen and Mt Bosworth avalanche closure zone is CLOSED Tuesday, December 9th.

Go to: https://www.pc.gc.ca for more details

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Limited observations were reported on Monday, likely due to poor visibility. Local ski hills noted new wind slab development and were triggering slabs up to size 2 at treeline and above using explosives. A few small natural avalanches were reported adjacent to the ski area boundary in Lake Louise, also involving small wind slabs. The most notable observation today was the STRONG WINDS!

Snowpack Summary

15–25 cm of storm snow has been blown into drifts and wind slabs at treeline and above. These slabs sit on a few buried crusts in the upper 40 cm. Below this, the Nov 13 rain crust is present in the middle of the snowpack, likely serving as a failure plane. Facetting is breaking down these crusts, producing a slowly developing problem. At treeline and below, snow remains generally soft with a supportive mid-pack, but the entire snowpack is weakening.

Weather Summary

A cold front will move through the forecast region Monday night, bringing increased precipitation with 10 to 25 cm of snow. Winds will remain elevated through Tuesday. Temperatures will drop throughout the day Tuesday, with lows near –15°C by Tuesday night.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.

Loose Dry

Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.