Avalanche Canada issues wide-spread warning

Jan 11, 2018 | 4:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — Much of B.C.’s Interior has been placed under an avalanche warning as snowpack conditions deteriorate across the region. 

Areas under the avalanche warning include the Cariboos, the North and South Columbia regions, and the Kootenay Boundary. 

According to Avalanche Canada’s Forecasting Program Supervisor, James Floyer, recent snowstorms have buried a number of weak layers in the snowpack, causing instability. 

“We’ve really reached a tipping point just in the last couple of days where we’ve seen very large avalanches, some dangerous avalanches in unusual areas such as in the trees and in low angle terrain, which makes it really quite difficult and quite dangerous for people to manage travel in avalanche terrain safely,” Floyer said. 

On Monday, a 36-year-old man was killed in an avalanche near Fernie. 

Floyer is urging those who are inexperienced in avalanche terrain to avoid going into the areas under the warning. 

He anticipates the warning to remain in effect until at least Monday. 

“Unfortunately it isn’t a snowpack situation that will heal particularly quickly, and in some areas we might even see that problem actually increasing in severity as we move forward in time. Certainly stay tuned, and we will make that information available through into the first part of next week.”