“This year’s snowpack is different from previous years,”: Avalanche Canada

Dangerous avalanche conditions continue to exist across the province including Prince George.

Five people have been killed in British Columbia avalanches this month.

On Monday, two people passed away while another sustained injuries following an incident near Mount McRae within the Alkolkolex tenure southeast of Revelstoke.

Over the weekend, a Grande Prairie, Alberta man died near Valemount after he and another rider were at the base of a slope in the Oasis snowmobile area south of the community.

The avalanche was remote-triggered close to the edge of the bowl.

Police have since turned over the file to the BC Coroners Service.

Lastly, two off-duty officers with the Nelson RCMP passed away. Constable Mathiew Nolet succumbed to his severe internal injuries at a Kelowna hospital Saturday morning. He and officer Wade Tittemore were skiing near Groat Range Provincial Park near Kaslo, where they were swept under.

Avalanche Canada Forecaster, Zoe Ryan told Vista Radio a series of storms along with warming temperatures is adding to an already fragile snowpack.

“This year’s snowpack is much different from previous years and professionals who have decades of experience suggest that this weak of a snowpack is only seen once every 10 or 20 years across much of Western Canada.”

“This winter we experienced unusually long periods of drought and cold weather and that created numerous and problematic layers due to the snowpack. As a result, we have a much shallower snowpack than normal with several weak layers, the most concerning is the weak sugary snow at the base of the snowpack,” added Ryan.

Ryan added anyone heading into the backcountry will need to have completed an avalanche course in order to recognize dangerous terrain.

Our area currently has a high danger rating according to the latest forecast.

In addition, a blog post on the recent conditions plaguing Western Canada can also be found here.