High avalanche risk reported throughout East Kootenay, Elk Valley mountain ranges

Winter storms throughout the East Kootenay has created a high avalanche risk.

Avalanche Canada says the heavy snowfall, wind and warm temperatures have added to a weak snowpack where buried weak layers are prime for triggering.

The avalanche danger is expected to be high in all areas Wednesday in mountain ranges near Cranbrook, Kimberley and the Elk Valley and considerable in areas of the Columbia Valley, like Canal Flats and Invermere.

Forecasters expect the avalanche risk to remain high for the next few days.

You can find the latest avalanche reports on the Avalanche Canada website.

A statement on avalanche conditions throughout the province as of Wednesday, December 28 is available below:

The SPAW region includes most of BC’s Columbia Mountains, Glacier and Mount Revelstoke National Parks, as well as the Northern Rockies. The SPAW extends from the southern boundaries of the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy and Kokanee and Valhalla Provincial Parks to Williston Lake north of Pine Pass and Mackenzie. For a map of the SPAW region, click here.

A prolonged cold and dry start to the winter created a number of persistent weak layers in the snowpack across the interior ranges of BC. The recent storm and warming temperatures have now destabilized that weak snowpack, making large, human-triggered avalanches likely. 

“The snowpack is currently in a precarious state,” explains Simon Horton, senior forecaster for Avalanche Canada. “The storm cycles that hit western Canada over the past weekend added significant snow on top of an exceptionally weak lower snowpack. This has brought the conditions to a tipping point where dangerous avalanches are likely.”

“While avalanche danger ratings may start to decrease as the weather improves, there will still be a chance of triggering a large avalanche,” adds Horton. 

Making conservative terrain choices can help manage this risk. Sticking to lower angle slopes and choosing smaller objectives that minimize the consequences of an avalanche are examples of how to reduce the risk. Backcountry users should always check the avalanche forecast at www.avalanche.ca. Everyone in a backcountry party needs the essential rescue gear—transceiver, probe, and shovel—and the training to use it. 

– Article includes information from Avalanche Canada