Skier buried up to waist after triggering backcountry avalanche in Alberta Rockies

By Canadian Press on January 22, 2026.

LAKE LOUISE — Video from Parks Canada shows a downhill skier in Alberta swept up in an avalanche that sent the person tumbling down a slope and buried waist-deep in snow.

Parks Canada says the skier, who ended up being OK, triggered the avalanche Tuesday on a backcountry slope called the “Vortex” outside the Lake Louise ski area in Banff National Park.

The footage shows the skier as a black dot against a white mountain, performing long, lazy S-turns, until a snowpack the size of a football field gives way.

The skier tumbles in a storm of snow before disappearing from view.

“The skier was carried to the bottom, buried to their waist and lost both skis but was otherwise uninjured,” Parks Canada said in a statement.

It said other skiers on the slope were experienced, well-equipped and descended one at a time to safety.

“The avalanche was a deep persistent slab that failed near the ground, on a layer of facets formed near a crust in November,” said the agency.

It’s a reminder that unstable snow is an issue and skiers should “avoid thin areas like rocky outcrops, where you’re most likely to trigger avalanches on the deep weak layers.”

Visitors entering avalanche terrain are advised to be prepared with skills, equipment and experience to analyze terrain and self-rescue if needed.

Parks Canada said it’s also good practice to check the daily avalanche report before heading out.