The CAC has issued special public avalanche warnings for both of the previous two weekends. We are considering issuing a third warning for the coming weekend and will make the decision later this week. Regardless of whether a special warning is issued, I thought I should give everyone a heads up on conditions.

The snowpack will remain highly unstable in many of BC’s interior mountain ranges this weekend. Areas affected include mountainous backcountry terrain in:

• The North Rocky Mountains north and east of Prince George, including the mountains around:
  • Mackenzie.
  • Pine Pass.
  • Chetwynd.
  • Tumbler Ridge.
  • Kakwa Recreation Area.
• The Columbia Mountains (Cariboo, Selkirk, Monashee, and Kootenay Ranges) from Prince George south to the US border and:
  • East of Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Kamloops, and the Okanagan Valley.
  • West of the Kootenay River, Columbia River/Kinbasket Lake, and Fraser River.
• The South Coast Mountains:
  • North and east of Pemberton.
  • West of Lilloet and Lytton.

The upper 100cm of the snowpack has up to five or six embedded weak layers, all of which are buried and out of sight. Any of these layers alone would present a significant challenge but in combination they have produced an extremely complex avalanche problem. These layers are proving to be exceptionally persistent-they have been very active for over two weeks and show no signs of improvement. In fact, conditions are becoming trickier and more complex every day.

Avalanches are starting naturally with minor changes in weather such as light accumulations of new snow, winds blowing a bit of snow around, warm temperatures, or even just sun shining on a slope when clouds break for a short period. The CAC is receiving daily reports of sledders, skiers, and snowboarders triggering avalanches, often from very low angle terrain (as flat as 15-20 degrees) and sometimes from as far as 50 – 100 metres away.

There is no indication avalanche activity is abating. In recent days, avalanche sizes have been increasing. Slides big enough to demolish a pickup truck are now occurring regularly. A recent report described avalanches 1000 metres across and running 1000 metres down-slope. These events are not survivable if you are caught in one you trigger yourself, or if one is triggered above you and it runs you down.

Extensive experience and professional level safety procedures and guidance are required to manage the current avalanche risk. Backcountry recreationists are urged to stay away from avalanche terrain until the snowpack becomes more stable. If you go into the mountains, you can reduce the chance of an avalanche accident by:

• Boondocking in the trees or in small glades well below treeline.
• Riding trails with no open slopes above, below, or around you.

Unless there’s a significant change in weather, the problem will likely persist into the following week, through next weekend, and perhaps longer. Look for up to date information about avalanche safety, education, and conditions at: www.avalanche.ca.

Please feel free to forward or repost this message freely.

You can send observations, photos, or comments to: forecaster@avalanche.ca, 250-837-2141 ext. 230.

You can contact me directly at: kklassen@avalanche.ca, 250-837-2141 ext. 227.

Karl Klassen

Public Avalanche Bulletins Manager

Canadian Avalanche Centre, Revelstoke

PLEASE CHECK CAC WEBSITE FOR MOST CURRENT BULLETINS

www.avalanche.ca/bulletins or phoning 1-800-667-1105

Canadian Avalanche Centre says backcountry travel in avalanche terrain not recommended in areas affected by warning

February 26, 2010, Revelstoke, BC: The Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is issuing a special public avalanche warning for a widespread area of the province’s backcountry. The warning includes the mountainous areas of the North Coast, the South Coast, the North Rockies, the Columbia Mountains and the Kootenay Boundary. The warning is in effect from Friday February 26 through to Monday March 1.

This warning is similar to the one issued this past weekend but now affects a broader area, says CAC Operations Manager John Kelly. “The weak layers in the upper snowpack remain volatile, and the weight of a person or a snowmobile can easily trigger avalanches,” he explains. “Much of the province will be getting snow and that will add to the load on these fragile layers. This hazard may be difficult to anticipate because the valley bottoms won’t recieve much snow. But at treeline and in the alpine, it’s still winter and that’s where the danger lies.  With this new snow, avalanches will definitely be large enough to injure or kill a person.”

The CAC is calling backcountry travel “not recommended” in avalanche terrain for the period of this warning. If recreational users do go in the backcountry, they should monitor the advice in the avalanche bulletins. Everyone in a backcountry party needs to be equipped with a shovel, probe and transceiver and the CAC strongly recommends all backcountry users take an avalanche awareness course. Snowpack stability changes constantly throughout the winter; backcountry users need to check the avalanche bulletin regularly to keep informed of conditions in their area. Avalanche bulletins are available at www.avalanche.ca/bulletins or phoning 1 800 667 1105

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Please check CAC website for most current bulletins