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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 26th, 2026–Mar 27th, 2026

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.
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.

New snow and wind has refreshed the ski quality but also made for reactive wind slabs in the immediate lees and storm slabs on the Mar 20 crust.

Be mindful of the luring effect of the sunny skies and powdery snow in the next few days.

Confidence

Moderate

  • We are uncertain about how quickly persistent slabs are gaining strength.

Avalanche Summary

Lake Louise and Sunshine ski hill reported soft slabs in immediate alpine and treeline lees, generally 20 cm thick to a maximum of 60 cm deep. These were reactive with ski cuts and explosives at Louise and with every shot at Sunshine, but were failing predictably and not propagating too far.

Small storm snow avalanches failing on the March 20 rain crust were reported in Kootenay on Wednesday.

Snowpack Summary

15 - 40 cm of new snow fell this week with strong SW winds. This fell on the Mar 20th rain crust which exists below ~2300m. Above this crust, various sun crusts exist on solar aspects, extending to higher elevations.

The January 24th facet layer is buried 70–180 cm deep at treeline and in the alpine, with some tests still producing hard, sudden results.

Weather Summary

Friday - mostly sunny with moderate to strong SW wind that will continue to build windslabs and cornices. Treeline temperatures will be approximately -8C.

Saturday & Sunday - mix of sun and cloud, moderate SW wind, and treeline temperatures -5C

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
  • Fresh snow rests on a problematic persistent slab, don't let good riding lure you into complacency.
  • Give the new snow several days to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain.

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.

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.