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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Dec 1st, 2025–Dec 2nd, 2025

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.
Alpine
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

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

The wind has arrived. Sustained westerly winds from 40-60 km/hr for the past 24 hours have nuked the alpine riding conditions and created widespread wind effect and windslabs right down into the treeline. After an amazing week of low danger last week, things have changed, and the avalanche danger has risen.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

Reports from the Sunshine Village ski patrol of 16/20 shots in Delerium Dive, releasing windslabs up to 40 cm deep. And Lake Louise ski area reported windslabs forming low in the start zones and releasing size 1.5 from ski cuts and explosives. So things have changed, and the wind has had an effect.

Snowpack Summary

The previously soft surface snow has been hit with wind in alpine areas, creating windslabs. Some of this wind effect is down into the treeline, but mostly 20-40 cm of soft snow still remains at TL and below. Below ~2300 m, a rain crust exists below the storm snow. The mid- and lower-snowpack is well settled where thicker, and facetting where thin. Tree-line snow depths range from 60-100cm

Weather Summary

A mostly dry, cool and windy few days ahead as our area is under the influence of a NW flow. Systems embedded in this flow will produce trace amounts of snow, temperatures around -10 and strong winds overnight on Monday - tapering by Tuesday.

Click here for Environment Canada links to weather tables for the region.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected 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.