NORTH SHORE (NEWS1130) - You're taking your life into your own hands in the backcountry of the North Shore these days. With avalanche risks incredibly high, rescue crews are likely not coming to get you.
Tim Jones with
North Shore Rescue says conditions are as bad as they can be, "Locally we have these high winds, we have fluctuating freezing levels, we have got heavy precipitation, it's a perfect storm."
Whether you're heading out of bounds at North Shore ski hills, up the closed
Grouse Grind, or into the higher parts of the
Lynn Headwaters, Jones says you can't predict avalanches, "There's no magic formula for risk assessment, just stay out of the backcountry for this next while past Wednesday."
If you run into trouble, help may not be on the way, especially as long as they can't use helicopters. "You're playing with the Grim Reaper on this one," explains Jones. "We may not be able to do anything for you. We're not going to put our members at risk."
He says staff at ski hills on the North Shore do a great job of avalanche maintenance, so stick to the controlled areas. Avalanche warnings are high at and above tree line.