A Message from the Canadian Avalanche Centre

[SRS]

Message from the Canadian Avalanche Centre to Early Season Backcountry Travellers:

I'm as excited as anyone to see new snow; however, a series of close calls have us worried. An early winter with above average snow depths mean it's prime avalanche season, without much run-up. Here are some thoughts to help you plan your weekend. And pass it on to those who are pushing a little too hard:
• It's storming in the mountains. Heavy snow, strong winds, and warming temperatures are rapidly increasing the likelihood of avalanches.
• It's only November. That means young, soft snow that hasn't had time to gain strength. It may look like mid-winter up high, but the snow is almost certainly not as good as it appears.
• We're watching a crust layer that formed on Halloween. We don't know much about it yet, but it has the makings of a persistent problem, especially in the South Rockies and the Purcell Mtns west of Golden and Invermere. This layer increases our concerns.
• Tuesday's close call near Revelstoke saw an entire group caught and buried. Luckily two of the sledders were "only" partially buried. They were able to dig out their fully buried buddies, and get the one who wasn't breathing going again. Read the account here. This is only the latest in a series of near misses.
• Popular areas that usually get totally compacted by heavy traffic have not seen much use yet. Avalanche conditions may be primed in these spots.

Here's what I'm thinking as I make my plans:
• It's possible to have fun on moderate terrain: don't even think about big-lines, movie lines, or modern lines. Pick uniform terrain less than 30 degrees.
• Smooth slopes with deeper snow help you avoid trips to the ski shop, sled shop, or emergency department. Unfortunately, these same slopes (grassy, rock slabs, scree, etc) can slide with as little as 50 cm of snow which means avalanches are more likely. This is why it is important to stay on low angle slopes.
• Avoid hazards above you and terrain traps below.
• Manage your group: talk about your thinking, one-at-a-time on slopes, know your escape route, and only re-group in safe spots.
• Practice with your beacon and have a simulated rescue drill. If your buddies haven't practiced - how are they going to dig you out?

Recognize this may be a short-term problem that helps in the long run. Choosing appropriate terrain for now might be the cost for great riding after it clears up, cools off, and the snow has time to strengthen. If you're willing to think more than a week into the future, this stormy weather might be really good news!

[Sledderglen]

Thanks for your input. Many are looking for this already. When can we have regular updates?

[SRS]

The CAC has not said when they will start with regular updates and forcasting. Hopfully they will soon. I'll update again when I know more.

Angie

[karlklassen]

Hi Folks,
The Canadian Avalanche Centre posted our first early-season bulletin November 6th. We issued our first forecasts on the 13th and have been updating them daily ever since.

This year we plan to update danger ratings, primary concerns, confidence statements, and weather forecasts daily. We'll update the avalanche activity summary, travel advisory, and snowpack discussions every week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; daily during Christmas and Easter; and as necessary if conditions warrant.

We've implemented a number of changes this year and recently launched a new and improved website. While we're still working on stuff like background and educational "how-to" material, the forecasts are up and running.

If you are using old bookmarks in your browser to get to the forecasts, you may need to update them because the new website has different addresses for many of the pages and your old bookmarks may be outdated. Go to Welcome to avalanche.ca and from there you'll find all the new and revised webpages.

Many of the changes we made to our bulletins are a result of suggestions from various users including sledders. I'm interested in any feedback you might have on both the new look and on our products in general. You can get in touch with me directly by emailing: kklassen@avalanche.ca

Unfortunately, due to financial, personnel, and resource constraints (we are a non-profit organization with limited funding) I don't have the ability to assign someone to make regular posts in forums like this. We do post when we see specific issues or have specific advice that we feel will assist our users in making good decisions.

Cheers,

Karl Klassen
Public Avalanche Bulletins Manager
Canadian Avalanche Centre
Revelstoke, BC

[Stocky]

Thanks for the effort to keep us informed, you can never hear too much about conditions at anytime. Just curious, the 1-800 number that CP Rail uses, that's Parks Canada, is there a 1-800 number for you that we could call as we're heading to the hills?