Avalanche Canada warns backcountry users about dangerous conditions
Posted March 5, 2017 4:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Heavy snowfall has created deadly conditions in BC’s backcountry this weekend.
Two people were caught in an avalanche on Saturday at Cypress Provincial Park, and a third person was killed in Whistler during another avalanche later that day.
With more possible snow in the forecast, Avalanche Canada is on high alert, and warns of dangerous conditions due to the recent dump of snow throughout the South Coast.
“Depending on where you are in southwestern BC, there’s been anywhere between 75 to 175 centimeters of snow in the last seven days”, says avalanche forecaster Grant Helgeson.
“Now, there’s been a lot of wind with that as well, and all that snow is resting on a weak layer”, he adds, which has forced Avalanche Canada to keep danger levels at “considerable”.
Cold weather actually preserves avalanche conditions… which means Avalanche Canada expects dangerous avalanche conditions to persist.
With that in mind, and also knowing that skiers and snowboarders continue to head out of bounds, Helgeson says you should consider taking an avalanche education course, but recommends dialing back your trip to the backcountry all together.
