Experts advising public to stay safe in B.C.’s high risk avalanche areas

A backcountry avalanche that killed an off-duty police officer in Nelson, B.C., and severely injured another is prompting experts to remind the public just how dangerous these high-risk areas can be.

Avalanche Canada is once again warning of the avalanche conditions across B.C.’s Interior and the widespread risk.

“We’re currently rating the danger rating as three out of five which is considerable. Although that’s not the highest danger rating, it is a level where human-triggered avalanches are likely,” said Avalanche Canada senior forecaster Simon Horton.

The organization is concerned about the buried weakness in the snowpack from the cold and dry start to the season, and the threat it poses if it becomes destabilized.

“We’re concerned about large or very large avalanches. These are large enough to bury or kill a person and they can even, in some cases, damage forests or buildings,” said Horton.

“The consequences of being caught under an avalanche under the current conditions are really severe.”

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Experts say they’re concerned this weak snowpack could potentially last for months in the Interior and those in the region need to be aware of the dangerous terrains.

“Know your area, read through that, speak to the community, reach out on social media talk to others who go out there ski touring,” said avalanche technician Karsten von Hoesslin.

“It goes without saying, you’re not going to go out in the backcountry unless you have a partner you can ski with, a trusted partner, that you can study the snowpack and practice the avalanche rescue skills.”

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With the high avalanche hazard in Interior mountains, backcountry users are advised to keep safety equipment with them at all times to avoid getting trapped.

“You definitely are going to need your avalanche transceiver, the beacon, you’re gonna need a probe and you’re gonna need a shovel, those are the big three that you need. But it doesn’t hurt to have additional equipment including an in-reach or some kind of communication device,” von Hoesslin said.

Von Hoesslin says this weekend’s precipitation could increase the risk of human-triggered avalanches in the mountains.

“We do have another atmospheric river that’s inbound. That’s the exact heavier loading that we’re about, that’s going to come on top of these weaker layers. We might start to see a lot of reactivity, natural reactivity, but we also might see some skier-triggered or sled-triggered activity as well.”