Pics of avalanches from the past two weeks

[AvyDaze]

Hi folks,

The Canadian Avalanche Centre has posted pictures of avalanches from the past two weeks - see: February - March 2010 : Avalanche Image Galleries : Library : Canadian Avalanche Centre : avalanche.ca

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Read the bulletin,
Discuss what you will and will not do,
Practice with your gear!

Keep safe out there and keep coming back!

John Kelly,
Operations Manager,
Canadian Avalanche Centre

 

[snoqueen]

The pictures are really worth a thousand words.....thanks AvyDaze for posting the link. The pics really show how unstable that snowpack is, and what the avy warnings have been telling us for the past few weeks in regard to that buried hoar frost layer. I hope peeps really heed the warnings, be careful out there, practice with your avalanche gear and perhaps playing in areas that don't pose such a great risk. Play safe everyone!!

 

[Summitric]

Those are amazing pics showing unbelieveably low angle avy's...... There are bigger, steeper hills out here in alberta

 

[Zacs]

There are a few pictures sledders have sent to us recently. We have them posted at the link below.

CLICK HERE for zacstracs.com

We rode at Frisby at the beginning of the week. We mainly stuck to the ridge and the rolling play areas just past the green radio tower. Size 2.5 slab avalanches (big enough to bury a person, but not quite a pick-up truck) were spotted on some of the eastern slopes. This included naturally triggered ones in the cariboo zone. Randy slope tested a small 35 degree convex feature and popped off a Size 1 on a west face.
Whoops...forgot to pull out the camera.

One of the guys we met said it was his first trip to the mountains. He watched a sled get buried in a small slide in Boulder the day before. An eye opener for sure!

While the snowpack is this interesting it is a great time to take an avalanche course.
Check out all the options on the Canadian Avalanche Centre's website.

Talking to colleagues this week we have all noticed that the attendance in avalanche classes has dropped off dramatically. This is unfortunate as this is the best time to get your nose in the snow to really learn what instability is all about.
Besides, unless you're drag racing on the flats, the next few weekends won't be suitable for tunin' the turbo anyway!

Take advantage of the conditions to get your skills in order.

 

[slednek]

Definately an eye opener. Just shows how it can happen anywhere on any type of terrain.

 

[Smurf]

Wowers. What beautiful/scary pictures!

Luckily we don't get enough snow down here for these to happen regularly (touch wood)

 

[08summit]

Just a couple more from this past weekend in Blue River (Groundhog)

 

[fbraz088]

that dosn't look that steep....scary