The potential for “dangerous and destructive” avalanches in the backcountry of British Columbia and Alberta this weekend has prompted Canada’s national public avalanche safety organization to issue a special public warning.
The warning is in effect from Feb. 27 through March 3, covering most of B.C.’s and Alberta’s forecast regions, Avalanche Canada says.
“After a season of relatively stable avalanche conditions, we are entering a period of dramatic change and it is important to adapt mindsets to reflect this,” the organization said in its advisory.
“Avalanche problems of this nature can be difficult to predict and there may be limited clues about deeper snowpack instabilities, but avalanches triggered on these layers are likely to be dangerous and destructive.”
Weak layers have formed in the upper snowpack due to periods of drought in January and February and are at depths ranging from 30 to 100 centimetres, Avalanche Canada said. These layers are formed by a range of surfaces, which may include surface hoar, faceted snow, or crust formations.
A firm slab of snow has developed over these layers leading to precarious conditions that may trigger avalanches, the organization added.
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“To manage these challenging conditions, it is essential that backcountry users choose conservative terrain and use good travel habits,” Avalanche Canada said.
Some of those habits include choosing slopes less than 30 degrees in clearings, open trees, and alpine terrain and avoiding sun-exposed slopes during warm or sunny conditions.
The organization also advises moving one at a time through avalanche-prone areas and gathering in safe spots that have no overhead hazards.
Every member of a backcountry party should be equipped with the essential rescue equipment, including a transceiver, probe, and shovel, and should have the training to use it, the organization said.
The latest warning comes 10 days after a backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche near the B.C. community of Golden.
Two men were reported unaccounted for at 10 p.m. on Feb. 17 and had not been heard from since 5:30 p.m., the RCMP said in a press release. Only one of the men returned home.
Search and rescue crews, including a helicopter, were able to recover the body of a 42-year-old man from Golden, B.C. Hillside efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, police said.
The pair triggered a wind slab avalanche near the top of the slope, which crashed down a gully for almost a kilometre, Avalanche Canada said. The victim was found near the toe of the slide and more than a metre deep in the snow.
Avalanche Canada recommends forecasts be checked at www.avalanche.ca before venturing out into the backcountry.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
