Recent snowfall and winds have contributed to an avalanche risk in the North Rockies Avalanche area.
Avalanche Canada’s website has the North Rockies’ danger rating listed as 2 or moderate for below the treeline, and 3 or considerable for the treeline and alpine elevations.
“The simplest way that I can describe that rating is natural avalanches are unlikely, but human triggered avalanches, whether it be a skier, snowboarder, snowmobiler, etc., are likely to trigger avalanches on certain slopes,” said Avalanche Canada’s Josh Smith.
According to Smith, the most significant weather factor affecting the avalanche hazard is the wind.
“When you have lots of light, fluffy, dry, snow to blow around like we do currently, wind can actually deposit snow onto a slope three times faster than it can just falling from the sky,” Smith explained.
“You can get these slabs, we call them wind slabs, forming on a slope quite quickly when you have winds greater than 25 km/h.”
Smith said the safest riding is in wind sheltered areas, such as terrain in trees.
He added the other avalanche problem is some weak layers near the bottom of the snowpack. He said those areas are most likely to be triggered in areas where you have a steep rocky slope, and a really shallow snowpack, or an area where there’s a snowpack that goes from really shallow to really thick.
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