Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks
Conditions are generally good, but not perfect as the week warms up. Climbers should be wary of steep, sun exposed gullies, and skiers watch out for the weaker snowpack in the Lake Louise area. Thurs and Fri will be hot days in sheltered areas.
Avalanche Problem 1: Loose Dry
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- The volume of sluffing could knock you over; choose your climb carefully and belay when exposed.
- On steep slopes, pull over periodically or cut into a new line to manage sluffing.
Avalanche Problem 2: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Hard to describe the location of these as they appear quite random, but they exist so watch for them. Due to the surface faceting they have the potential to run far.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Use caution in lee areas. Recent wind loading has created wind slabs.
Avalanche Summary
Lots of interesting activity around the Lake Louise backcountry today. We received reports of a 3 different avalanches triggered by skiers in West Bowl (size 1), Corral Creek Slides (size 1.5) and Hidden Bowl (size 2). No involvements but these were unexpected and definitely highlight the uncertainty in the snow pack around Lake Louise.
Snowpack Summary
The surface snow is a mix of soft powder and wind effect in alpine areas. The recent cold temperatures have weakened the upper half of the snowpack, and several weak layers exist in the top 60 cm. The distribution of these layers across our forecast region is quite random. The loose surface snow will run far when even a small avalanche starts.
Weather Forecast
The warm air has arrived and it at the higher elevations today and also for Wednesday. Expect clear skies and continued warming through the week, particularly on the eastern side of the park. Valley bottom high's will reach +1 by Friday. Thursday and Friday will be the warmest days of the week. Don't be fooled by cold temps in the valleys.
Avalanche Forecasts in your Inbox
Avalanche Canada has switched to an RSS feed for its daily forecasts. This is a much more flexible method that allows automatic delivery to your email inbox, or to an RSS reader of your choice.
What are RSS feeds?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a popular standardized file format allowing up-to-date delivery of web-based content. RSS feeds enable you to receive content updates from websites, delivered to your email through an RSS aggregator (such as blogtrottr.com) or viewed through applications called RSS readers (such as feedly.com).
Set up an RSS feed for your email:
Select a RSS aggregator
- Avalanche Bulletin - Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks URL:
http://www.avalanche.ca/api/forecasts/banff-yoho-kootenay.rss - Copy the url and paste it into the appropriate field of your RSS aggregator.
- Fill in your email address.
- Voila! Watch the Avalanche Canada forecast roll into your inbox.
Forecast Disclaimer
Avalanche Canada's Public Avalanche Bulletin, and other information and services provided by Avalanche Canada, are intended for personal and recreational purposes only.
**THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND IN NO EVENT SHALL THE PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES RESULTING FROM DISCOMFORT, INJURY, OR DEATH, CLAIMS BY THIRD PARTIES OR FOR OTHER SIMILAR COSTS, OR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.**
The user acknowledges that it is impossible to accurately predict natural events such as avalanches in every instance, and uses the data in this bulletin with this always foremost in mind. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and the Providers disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use the data.
The cold temperatures have facetted the surface snow, and once initiated sluffs can pick up mass and travel far. Big sluffs are possible if you are climbing in gullies with steep terrain above, or skiing steep lines.