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Special Avalanche Warning - February 19-21
The Canadian Avalanche Centre has issued a Special Avalanche Warning for this weekend and an appeal to snowmobilers, clubs and businesses to pass along this message.
Please copy THIS ZacsTracs: Special Avalanche Warning - February 19-21 and send to all your sledding contacts. Weekends like this are the perfect recipe for an avalanche accident.
To read the entire letter CLICK HERE
are the ingredients of this Special Avalanche Warning?
Below are some of the reasons why this SPAW has been issued.
Close call avalanches have been reported.
Several weaknesses are present in the upper snowpack right now. Snowmobilers and skiers have been triggering a wide variety of alpine and treeline slopes.
Common safe areas are suspect, catching people by surprise.
EVEN LOW ANGLE slopes are releasing right now. REMOTE TRIGGERING has also been reported.
This means that slopes may be releasing at a distance from the trigger point. You don’t have to be ON THE BIG SLOPE…JUST CONNECTED TO THE SLOPE.
This little slide looks harmless…imagine it on a larger slope…or on a slope with a trap where the snow can accumulate leading to a deep burial.
Good weather and new snow will tempt people out to the slopes.
Weekends bring more riders. With more traffic people push the terrain even harder in search of fresh tracks.
There is a lack of natural avalanche activity.
Without the obvious clue of naturally triggered avalanches people often get a false impression that the snowpack is stable.
Photo credit to Becky Corfe, Grande Prairie, AB
Why is this different from a forecast of ‘High’ or ‘Extreme’ avalanche conditions?
Statistically, recreational fatalities are more likely to occur during a period rated as ‘Considerable’. Why?
The definition of ‘High or Extreme’ avalanche hazard means “Natural and human triggered avalanches are likely or certain”
Often in a period rated as High or Extreme we are in the middle of a storm and there are fewer people out. Also, ratings of High or Extreme do not tend to last long.
The natural activity alerts people to the unstable snowpack
People notice the action and ease off to simpler terrain.
The avalanche rating of ‘Considerable’ means “natural avalanches are possible, human triggered avalanches are probable”
Basically this means that the snowpack isn’t unstable enough for the balance to tip with nature’s influence alone…but add the additional load of a sledder and the snowpack may struggle to hold together.
A Special Avalanche Warning DOES NOT mean that you cannot go riding in the backcountry. It means:
ALWAYS READ THE AVALANCHE BULLETINS IF AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA.
Sled : Community : Canadian Avalanche Centre : avalanche.ca for Avalanche Bulletins for Canada
Avalanche.org - Home Page for Avalanche Bulletins for the United States.
Take an avalanche course to learn how to read an Avalanche Bulletin and to identify Avalanche Terrain and Terrain Traps. Successful use of terrain allows you to minimize your exposure to avalanche risk. Avalanche courses are available in many areas.
Learn to use the AVALUATOR to help you to choose terrain more suited for the posted avalanche conditions.
CLICK HERE for more info.
Consciously adjust your choices of terrain. In many communities there is non-avalanche terrain where riders can enjoy the blue skies and fresh snow conditions away from the reach of the big slopes.
Zac’s Tracs Avalanche Courses
Other avalanche course providers recognized by the CAC
Commenting is closed for this article.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre has issued a Special Avalanche Warning for this weekend and an appeal to snowmobilers, clubs and businesses to pass along this message.
Please copy THIS ZacsTracs: Special Avalanche Warning - February 19-21 and send to all your sledding contacts. Weekends like this are the perfect recipe for an avalanche accident.
To read the entire letter CLICK HERE
are the ingredients of this Special Avalanche Warning?
Below are some of the reasons why this SPAW has been issued.
Close call avalanches have been reported.
Several weaknesses are present in the upper snowpack right now. Snowmobilers and skiers have been triggering a wide variety of alpine and treeline slopes.
Common safe areas are suspect, catching people by surprise.
EVEN LOW ANGLE slopes are releasing right now. REMOTE TRIGGERING has also been reported.
This means that slopes may be releasing at a distance from the trigger point. You don’t have to be ON THE BIG SLOPE…JUST CONNECTED TO THE SLOPE.
This little slide looks harmless…imagine it on a larger slope…or on a slope with a trap where the snow can accumulate leading to a deep burial.
Good weather and new snow will tempt people out to the slopes.
Weekends bring more riders. With more traffic people push the terrain even harder in search of fresh tracks.
There is a lack of natural avalanche activity.
Without the obvious clue of naturally triggered avalanches people often get a false impression that the snowpack is stable.
Photo credit to Becky Corfe, Grande Prairie, AB
Why is this different from a forecast of ‘High’ or ‘Extreme’ avalanche conditions?
Statistically, recreational fatalities are more likely to occur during a period rated as ‘Considerable’. Why?
The definition of ‘High or Extreme’ avalanche hazard means “Natural and human triggered avalanches are likely or certain”
Often in a period rated as High or Extreme we are in the middle of a storm and there are fewer people out. Also, ratings of High or Extreme do not tend to last long.
The natural activity alerts people to the unstable snowpack
People notice the action and ease off to simpler terrain.
The avalanche rating of ‘Considerable’ means “natural avalanches are possible, human triggered avalanches are probable”
Basically this means that the snowpack isn’t unstable enough for the balance to tip with nature’s influence alone…but add the additional load of a sledder and the snowpack may struggle to hold together.
A Special Avalanche Warning DOES NOT mean that you cannot go riding in the backcountry. It means:
ALWAYS READ THE AVALANCHE BULLETINS IF AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA.
Sled : Community : Canadian Avalanche Centre : avalanche.ca for Avalanche Bulletins for Canada
Avalanche.org - Home Page for Avalanche Bulletins for the United States.
Take an avalanche course to learn how to read an Avalanche Bulletin and to identify Avalanche Terrain and Terrain Traps. Successful use of terrain allows you to minimize your exposure to avalanche risk. Avalanche courses are available in many areas.
Learn to use the AVALUATOR to help you to choose terrain more suited for the posted avalanche conditions.
CLICK HERE for more info.
Consciously adjust your choices of terrain. In many communities there is non-avalanche terrain where riders can enjoy the blue skies and fresh snow conditions away from the reach of the big slopes.
Zac’s Tracs Avalanche Courses
Other avalanche course providers recognized by the CAC
Commenting is closed for this article.
