There have been no avalanche deaths in British Columbia and across Canada this season. That being said, forecasters are concerned about the current conditions.
Simon Horton, senior forecaster with Avalanche Canada, tells Glacier Media there are 10 deaths per season based on a 10-year average.
“Every season is different,” he says. “They can have accidents as early as October to November, but quite often they’re in the middle of winter in January, February, March as the snowpack gets deeper and more complex.”
There have been remarkable close calls this season, he adds, “with people caught in avalanches who luckily survived.”
Because it’s still early in the avalanche season, there’s concern about the forecast, Horton says. Currently, the snowpack is “complex”.
“This is linked to the extended periods of cold weather we had at the start of winter, then followed by a bunch of storms over the festive period. We’re worried about people triggering big avalanches.”
Forecasters say current conditions make it difficult to predict where avalanches could be triggered.
“The complication with this snowpack setup is that the layers are deep enough that we’re much less likely to see clues like nearby avalanche activity, rumbling or cracking snow,” said Mike Conlan, a forecaster with Avalanche Canada. “If you experience any of these, then of course that’s a strong sign to keep things tame. But right now we have to remember that the first sign of trouble can be triggering an avalanche with major consequences.”
Avalanches BC: Which areas are of concern?
According to Avalanche Canada, there are three main problem areas.
This includes the Columbia Mountains, many parts of the interior mountain ranges, and the Rocky Mountains. Horton believes these terms may surprise some people.
“Across most of the interior ranges, we see very little snowpack structure and people trigger large avalanches on them. And we’re concerned that it’s kind of an avalanche problem that doesn’t have obvious clues when I go outside,” he says.
The southern coast of the province is also experiencing its own “interesting” conditions.
“It started off pretty cold and below average in terms of snowpack,” says Horton. “So it created a weak inland-like structure, but now that we have warmer, more typical coastal storms, we’re seeing a lot of the coastal regions go back to a more typical coastal snowpack.” That being said, there are some areas of concern along the coast… Pemberton, Duffy (the Lake District) and the more northerly inland parts of the region.”
Over Vancouver Island, the snowpack is thinner than normal.
“We’re right in the middle of really active wet coastal storms, so we’re going through a pretty tough period of increased avalanche conditions during storms, followed by lulls between storms,” he says.
What to do if you are going to the countryside
Avalanche conditions can change by the day or even by the hour, so Horton says anyone going out should have training and equipment so they can manage their own avalanche safety.
“We’re seeing things go a few different ways this season,” he says. “This problem could last for weeks or months in many parts of the province, and others could disappear quite quickly, depending on how the weather develops.”
If you or someone you know is planning to go, there are some things to keep in mind. Horton says it’s important to be careful when it comes to choosing terrain, “more conservative choices like lower slope angles, being in mature timber and staying away from large overhead slopes.”
Risk can also be managed by:
- adopting a conservative mindset when in avalanche terrain;
- careful with terrain selection, sticking to slope angles below 30 degrees when in clearings, open trees and alpine terrain;
- following disciplined group decision-making, ensuring that every member of the group is involved in field selection;
- minimizing overhead hazard exposure given that these avalanches can be triggered remotely and travel far into runoff zones;
- traveling one at a time when exposed to avalanche terrain and regrouping in safe locations well away from danger above;
- avoiding exposure to terrain traps, such as gullies, rocks and trees, to reduce the consequences of falling into an avalanche; and
- practicing patience, avoiding complacency and accepting that you may need to manage this risk for the coming weeks or months.
For more information, visit the Avalanche Canada website.
Add Comment