Avalanche Canada is extending the warning to recreational backcountry users that was first issued on March 29.
This warning is now in effect through the coming weekend to April 3, but applies only to the following regions: the North Rockies, Cariboos, North and South Columbias, Purcells and the Kootenay-Boundary.
“The record warm temperatures are still our main concern,” says Warning Service Supervisor James Floyer. “While the coastal regions and the Yukon is starting to cool down, we are still expecting a lot of solar radiation in the interior, which will continue to have a destabilizing effect on the snowpack.”
As the day warms up, backcountry users in these regions are urged to stay away from avalanche terrain. “Start your trips in the morning when it’s still cold and before sun rises,” Floyer said in a sews statement. “Your best risk management strategy in these conditions is to be out of avalanche terrain by the early afternoon at the latest.” For a video explaining how the warm weather affects the snowpack, click here.
Everyone in a backcountry party needs to have an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. A two-day Avalanche Skills Training 1 course is the minimum training recommended for travelling in avalanche terrain. For current conditions, check www.avalanche.ca.
