Avalanche Canada issued a public avalanche warning for recreational backcountry users on Thursday, covering a number of popular B.C. mountain ranges.
The province has been hit with a number of storms, dropping significant amounts of snow after a prolonged drought in late November and early December. Due to the drought the new snow is not bonding well to the old surface, leaving potential for avalanches, the agency said.
James Floyer, senior avalanche forecaster for Avalanche Canada, said in a press release is that he is concerned about the weather clearing on Saturday, enticing backcountry users to head to the mountains.
“After all this rain in the valleys, backcountry users are going to want to hit the alpine, but that’s where the danger is greatest. There’s a very weak layer now buried anywhere between 60 and 150 centimetres. Any avalanche triggered on that layer will definitely be life threatening,” Floyer said.
Those accessing higher elevation terrain, including skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers, are being warned to be aware of the avalanche hazard.
Avalanche Canada says the warning applies to Lizard Range and Flathead, Purcells, Kootenay Boundary, North Rockies, South & North Columbia, Cariboos, Vancouver Island, Sea-to-Sky, South Coast, South Coast Inland and Northwest Coastal, and will remain in effect until Sunday night.
Current avalanche conditions can be found at www.avalanche.ca.