Avalanche warning keeps hold over Rockies

REVELSTOKE, B.C. — Record high temperatures are expected this week, and Avalanche Canada is warning those in the backcountry to be ready for an increased avalanche hazard.

Warning Service Manager Karl Klassen says they’re expecting this weather to have a big impact on the snowpack.

“Given that many slopes have yet to see a full-blown warm up we are predicting a widespread and varied array of avalanche problems this week including cornice failures, surface-layer avalanches, and failure on deeper persistent weak layers,” he said.

“While this is not atypical weather for this time of year, clear-sky days often lead to underestimating hazard and failing to manage risk appropriately.”

This warning applies to all Avalanche Canada forecast regions — from the Yukon to the U.S. border and from the Pacific to the Rockies. The warning is in effect through April 1, and will be reassessed at this point in time.

Klassen adds that, when the morning sun strikes alpine slopes and cornices, backcountry users should move onto terrain that’s safe from avalanches that start high above and run well into lower elevations.

“As daytime temperatures rise and the upper layers of the snowpack become moist or wet, recreationists are advised to avoid avalanche terrain completely,” he noted.

A good risk management strategy, he says, is to start trips in the morning when it’s still cold and before the sun rises, with the goal of being out of avalanche terrain by early afternoon at the latest.