A special avalanche advisory is warning people to be extra cautious in a wide area of B.C.’s backcountry from Friday, Feb. 24 through to Monday, Feb. 27.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued the special advisory Friday morning for the mountainous areas of northwest island B.C. as well as the ranges of the Cariboos, the north and south Columbias, the north and south Rockies, the Lizard Range, the Purcells, and the south coast island mountains.
“The clear, dry spell covering the province in early February had a weakening effect on the surface of the snow at that time,” said Karl Klassen, Manager of the CAC’s Public Avalanche Warning Services in a press release.
“Now that surface is buried and left us with a very complex upper snowpack, with a number of weak layers. Conditions are very tricky to manage right now. If you’re going into avalanche terrain, you need local knowledge, extensive experience and training.”
The CAC is reminding backcountry users that every party needs a shovel, probe and transceiver, adding that an avalanche awareness course is also strongly recommended.
Recreational backcountry users can monitor avalanche bulletins at www.avalanche.ca/cac.
