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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 25th, 2026–Mar 26th, 2026

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
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 immediate lee terrain.

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 up to 60 cm deep from the overnight snow. These were reactive with every shot at Sunshine but were failing predictably and not propagating too far. Some loose dry avalanches were also observed and these ran fast and far on lower elevation crusts.

Snowpack Summary

15 - 40 cm of new snow fell overnight Tuesday with strong SW winds building fresh slabs at ridgetop. This fell on the Mar 20th rain crust which exists below ~2300m, with additional sun crusts on solar aspects. The January 24th facet layer is buried 100–180 cm deep at tree-line and in the alpine, with some tests still producing hard, sudden results.

Weather Summary

Another system is approaching on Thursday that should bring up to 10 cm with moderate westerly winds and below zero termperatures. Friday and Saturday we will see drier conditions as a ridge builds. Expect mostly clear skies, moderate to strong SW winds at ridgetop and freezing levels rising to ~ 1500m midday.

Terrain and Travel Advice

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

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.