Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Apr 10th, 2026–Apr 11th, 2026

Alpine

Spring Conditions

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Alpine

Spring Conditions

Treeline

Spring Conditions

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Spring Conditions

Regions

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

Spring Conditions Exist. With the high freezing levels forecast, expect an all melt - no freeze scenario for Saturday.

Without a thick, supportive, frozen crust developing overnight, the upper snowpack will have far less strength, and stability will deteriorate rapidly with daytime warming causing a rise in avalanche danger.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

Many loose wet surface avalanches out of steep terrain were observed on Friday starting in the morning. Lake Louise ski hill was reporting some loose wet avalanches to size 1.5-2 on solar aspects Friday afternoon.

Snowpack Summary

Sun/temperature crusts exist on all aspects to 2300 m, and to ridge tops on solar aspects. These crusts will break down quickly with daytime heating and high freezing levels. True north aspects hold dry, settled snow above 2300 m. The January 24 persistent weak layer (facets over crust) is down 70–160+ cm and has been unreactive this week. Below this, the snowpack is generally strong with no significant weaknesses.

Weather Summary

Friday night: Expect a poor freeze with high freezing levels (FL) overnight (2600m). Winds will be light from the west.

Saturday: Clear in morning, becoming cloudy in afternoon with light SW winds and convective flurries associated with a cold front in the evening. Expect 2-5 cm with localized accumulations of 15 cm. FL - 2800m.

Sunday: Continued convective flurries and showers. FL -2000-2200 m

Terrain and Travel Advice

Start your day early and be out of avalanche terrain during the heat of the day.
Travel early on sun-exposed slopes before cornices weaken with daytime warming.
Cornices often break further back than expected; give them a wide berth when traveling on ridgetops.

Problems

Loose Wet

Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.

Cornices

Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.