Canadian Avalanche Center Issues Warning

The Canadian Avalanche Center has warned skiers, snowmobilers and other winter sports enthusiasts to stay out of much of the western Canadian back country. The center describes conditions in some areas as the most dangerous in 30 years.

Karl Klassen, a forecaster with the center, said recent heavy snow has left many slopes with an unstable pack and that clear sunny weather does not necessarily mean the mountains are safe.

“We’re concerned that snowmobilers, skiers, snowshoers and even ice climbers might be at risk of being caught in these avalanches when they’re not expecting them because the problem looks like it’s getting better when it’s just becoming more and more hidden,” Klassen said. “It’s still a situation that could produce very large, very destructive and basically non-survivable avalanches if you’re caught in it.”

Here is video of CMH avalanche control being done in the Purcell Range near the Bobbie Burns area. They set off some class 4 avalanches: