Canada Issues Urgent Avalanche Warning for Skiers and Snowboarders

Yahoo

28-02-2025

Avalanche Canada has issued a Special Public Avalanche Warning (SPAW) that applies to much of British Columbia and Alberta.The warning lasts through the end of March 3, 2025. A few forecast zones in southwest and northwest British Columbia are exempt. The extent of the warning can be viewed here.Weak layers have formed between 30 centimeters and 100 centimeters deep in the snowpack during recent periods of drought, according to Avalanche Canada. Atop these weak layers, which may consist of crust, faceted snow, or surface hoar, now sits a consolidated slab of snow, creating dangerous avalanche conditions.'Avalanche problems of this nature can be difficult to predict, and there may be limited clues about deeper snowpack instabilities,' the warning reads, noting that slides triggered on the existing weak layers will likely be destructive.Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.
The warning published on Avalanche Canada's website included four safety tips for skiers, snowboarders, and other backcountry users:-'Choose slopes less than 30 degrees in clearings, open trees, and alpine terrain."-'Maintain disciplined decision-making and remember that danger may not be obvious.'-'Avoid sun-exposed slopes during warm or sunny conditions.'-'Move one at a time through avalanche terrain and regroup in safe spots without overhead hazard.''We've been tracking these weak layers closely over this past month,' said Avalanche Canada forecaster Zoe Ryan in a news release published by the British Columbia Government. 'Now that the snow on top of them has consolidated, it's a recipe for dangerous avalanches. These highly problematic layers remain primed for human triggering.'Ryan added that safe backcountry travel is essential during the SPAW as avalanche incidents involving the weak layers may prove deadly.'I urge everyone to check the avalanche forecast before heading out, make cautious decisions, and consider delaying their trip to the mountains until conditions are safer,' said Kelly Greene, the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, in the news release.
The warning follows two recent avalanche fatalities in British Columbia, according to Avalanche Canada.On February 23, a group of three snowmobilers were recreating in the Forster Creek below Thunderwater Lake, British Columbia. One member of the party was swept away by an avalanche and fully buried. He was taken to the Invermere Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.A few days earlier, on February 17, an avalanche killed a backcountry traveller on Kapristo Mountain near Golden, British Columbia.