Weekend snow dump triggers avalanche warning

“With that storm came an impressive avalanche cycle. Large, wide, deep avalanches that ran far,” said Storm. “Similarly, our areas of concern are pretty widespread. They all have the same problem, which is a deep, persistent weak layer — some really crappy snow deep down in the snowpack.

“Now the skies are clearing, the natural activity is slowing down or even stopping. But because of the snowpack structure, there’s a lingering hazard,” Storm continued. “It’s really hard to tell what slopes are near the tipping point and which slopes aren’t.”

Storm warns backcountry enthusiasts to be well-prepared with the proper equipment and training before they head out, adding they should also bring their good common sense.

“You don’t want big snowy slopes above you,” said Storm. “So if I was a snowshoer, walking through the woods in the valley bottom and I come out into a clearing, I’d be looking up, I’d be thinking about, ‘Is this avalanche terrain? Is there an avalanche path above me?’ It’s not the place to stop for lunch or enjoy the sun or take a bunch of photos.

“Because it’s hard to know what slopes are near the tipping point and which ones aren’t — what’s good and what’s bad… if I was skiing or snowmobiling, I’d be sticking to lower angle, smaller slopes. Smaller because it’s lower consequence. That’s how I’m hedging my bets.

“In many ways, what we’ve dealt with until now has been easy. The difficult period is now coming up for us.”

by James Peters

Weekend snow dump triggers avalanche warning

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