A Special Public Avalanche Warning has been issued for much of BC and Western Alberta.
It's a joint warning from Avalanche Canada, in partnership with Parks Canada, Alberta Parks, and the Province of British Columbia.
The warning is effective as of Feb. 27, and will remain in effect until Monday, March 3, covering recreational backcountry areas across most of their forecast regions in both provinces.
"A cohesive slab of snow 30 to 100 centimetres thick sits over a variety of prominent weak layers in the upper snowpack that formed during dry periods in January and February," reads a media release from the organizations.
Avalanche Canada has been monitoring these weak layers over the last month.
“Now that the snow on top of them has consolidated, it’s a recipe for dangerous avalanches. These highly problematic layers remain primed for human triggering,” said Avalanche Canada Avalanche Forecaster Zoe Ryan in the release.
Natural avalanches have decreased in recent weeks, but these weaker layers present a very real risk of human-triggered avalanches.
Avalanche Canada released a few recommendations to further decrease the risk:
- Sticking to lower-angle slopes (less than 30 degrees)
- Choosing terrain that minimizes the consequences of an avalanche
- Traveling one at a time when exposed to avalanche terrain
- Avoiding sun-exposed slopes during warm and/or sunny conditions
They also advise backcountry users to pack rescue gear including gan avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel, and to know how to use them.
The warning comes amid an arrival of warmer weather to Southern Alberta, which is likely to draw hikers to the mountains.
Avalanche forecasts can be seen on the Avalanche Canada website.