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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 21st, 2026–Jan 22nd, 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

Banff Yoho Kootenay, Banff, East Side 93N, LLSA.

This area has been separated from the region because of its thinner snowpack, where the basal facet layer remains. Although there have been very few recent avalanches on this layer, and cold temperatures are expected to reduce its sensitivity, one person still triggered it on Tuesday, resulting in a waist-deep burial.

Confidence

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches observed in a flight to Mt Wilson today.

On Tuesday, just outside the Lake Louise ski area boundary, one person triggered a size 2, 40-70 cm deep on a west-facing, cross-loaded slope at 2450 m. They appear to be the 7th track down the slope and hit the sweet spot near a thin area that released the avalanche near the ground. The person was buried to their waist and lost their skis, but otherwise uninjured.

Snowpack Summary

Surface hoar growth and faceting are widespread. Constant moderate to strong winds have blasted the alpine snow surfaces. The surface facetting is helping to a degree by creating soft snow in some areas.

Deeper in the snowpack is the layer of surface hoar, down 50-60 cm, and still producing moderate - hard, sudden planar test results, but no avalanches. At the ground, basal facets exist in thin snowpack areas, but overall, this year's deeper snowpack is stronger than usual.

Weather Summary

The strong ridge of high pressure dominating BC and AB remains stationary, with no change expected for at least another 6 days. Over the next week, expect clear skies, NW winds and cold temperatures, with lows on Thursday night down to -25. Weather models are calling for a pattern change starting around Tuesday, Jan 27, when the winds return to a westerly flow, temperatures moderate and light snow begins to fall.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops where you're most likely to trigger avalanches on deep weak layers.

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.