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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 29th, 2026–Mar 30th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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, 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.

Continued wind has built cornices and we have seen several cornice failures in the last few days.

If the sun comes out, it could destabilize the snow quickly as the late March sun is strong!

Confidence

Moderate

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

Avalanche Summary

Both ski hills reported small windslab avalanches in alpine and treeline terrain.

Sunshine reported a natural cornice failure on a cornice that doesn't regularly fail.

Snowpack Summary

20-45 cm of snow fell over the last week, with moderate to strong SW winds creating wind effect in open areas, and wind slabs in lee areas. This snow fell on the Mar 20th rain crust, which exists below 2100-2300m. Above this crust on solar aspects, various buried sun crusts exist, some extending to higher elevations. Cornice growth continues.

The Jan 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

A relatively benign week of weather ahead:

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Monday: Mostly sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.

Wednesday: Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

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.
  • Cornice failures could trigger large and destructive avalanches.

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.