While skiers, boarders, snowshoers and other backcountry users on the Coast have a vast amount of terrain in which to play, it pays to play it safe when avalanche conditions pose potentially deadly risks.
"This is the most challenging year since 2002/03," said Ilya Storm, a public avalanche forecaster with the Canadian Avalanche Centre. Eleven people have died in avalanches in Western Canada so far this season - and a singular snowfall in December is at the root of it all, he said.
"Almost all the fatal avalanches this year have involved the Dec. 5 ice crust," said Storm. When rain fell almost to the tops of many B.C. mountains, then froze, it created a faceted layer of sugar snow that Storm likens to "a layer of marbles between a sheet of plywood and a mattress."
But while terrain awareness is always an important tool in the backcountry, Storm said the nature of the snowpack in the local hills and the Coast Mountains isn't as dangerous as some imagine. "You'd have to go to the east side of the Coast Range and further east to see most of these problems," he said. "[Coastal] mountains are not ground zero for this kind of thing - when conditions are stable, there are great opportunities to explore the mountains. Contrary to popular belief, a deep snowpack is often a safer snowpack."
Local park ranger Dylan Eyers said over time, snow on the Coast tends to either freeze solid or turn into 'rounded' snow - the kind that makes for good snowballs. In either case, he said, it makes for a stable snowpack. When avalanches do occur locally this winter, Eyers said it's unlikely they'll be related to the Dec. 5 ice crust. However, we are likely to see avalanche activity related to coastal weather conditions and local snowpack instabilities, he said.
"The Coast typically sees rapid warming and moisture in the air as precursors to avalanches," he said. Circumstances like a large dump of snow during a storm cycle combined with warm temperatures could cause a rapid cycle of avalanches in a 24-hour period, he cautions. But people tend not to be out in those huge storms, he said, a factor that makes fatal avalanches a very rare thing on the Coast. In four years working locally, Eyers said he hasn't heard of anyone caught in an avalanche here.
Storm said the notable exceptions in this part of B.C. are Whistler and Blackcomb, which are too far inland to receive much of a maritime weather influence and have "convoluted terrain." Storm said rocky outcrops covered by a thin snowpack above the ice crust in those areas can trigger chain-reaction avalanches that extend through weak layers to much deeper snow.
But while there's not a lot of potential avalanche terrain within Tetrahedron Provincial Park or Dakota Ridge, both Eyers and Storm urge backcountry travellers to exercise caution and have at least a basic understanding of how to read the terrain."Stay on slopes that are supported with a valley below, not those that trend towards a cliff," Storm said. "Stick to ridges and high points, rather than creeks and depressions. And if you see shooting cracks form or hear a 'whoomp' sound in the snow, these are clues to stay away.
"The best advice is to select terrain cautiously, to give yourself a wider margin of error. But doing it well comes with avalanche training and experience - a weekend course is not a huge investment of time or money, and the beacon, shovel and probe are basic safety equipment, much like a life jacket is on the water." Eyers adds that skiers should avoid being on or below steep terrain, as anything steep enough to ski down could be avalanche terrain, he said.
To keep on top of current conditions, both men recommend checking the Canadian Avalanche Centre website (www.avalanche.ca) before trips and looking specifically at the North Shore safety bulletin, which is the best predictor for mountains on the Sunshine Coast. The site also explains in detail what the danger levels mean.
The website has links to available instruction in recognized avalanche skills training (AST) programs. There are few AST programs on the Coast - groups of five or more can charter a course through Off the Edge bike shop in Sechelt, while Alpha Adventures in Roberts Creek is now gearing up to run a scheduled course this winter. Both courses will provide the beacons, shovels, probes and the instructor needed to run an AST - Level one program.
