With Environment Canada predicting warm, springlike weather of about 10 C over the upcoming weekend, we’d like to add our voice in urging backcountry users to exercise extreme caution in pursuing their favourite pursuits.
Earlier in the week, Avalanche Canada’s website (www.avalanche.ca) could have been best described as vividly red for the Rockies and Kananaskis Country – with a solid slate of red (high) warnings for nearly all elevations and in all areas literally jumping off the webpage at you.
As of Wednesday (March 22), avalanche warnings had been downgraded somewhat to orange (considerable) at treeline and into the alpine.
However, lest backcountry users feel they can breath a sigh of relief in re-planning a backcountry excursion, it must be noted that the accompanying statement – Large explosive triggered avalanche occurred today. The potential for very large human triggered avalanches on the weak facets remains high. Avoid exposure to overhead hazard and stick to moderate angled supported terrain to enjoy the new snow – should provide sufficient warning to scale back activities.
Also, while the Avalanche Canada website is colour coded for quick and easy viewing, as always, it pays to heed the wording that accompanies the colour coding. In the case of a considerable warning, that wording states - Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely. Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas.
‘Nough said?
Two American tourists were killed in an avalanche while snowshoeing just a week ago; let’s not create more dangerous situations.
Beyond the above information, we’d recommend paying heed to avalanche expert Grant Statham’s quote in our story from page 1 – “None of us in visitor safety have ever seen such large avalanches over such a widespread area.”
Or, how about this one – “It’s like Armageddon up there. There’s giant fractures everywhere.”
If those quotes don’t give a backcountry user pause for contemplation …
Bears are out there
By way of warnings, we’d also like to point out that, when wildlife corridors seem constantly in the news, along with humans’ deleterious effects on them – bear tracks have been spotted in K-Country and wildlife managers point out it’s about time for the biggest male bruins to get out of their dens and begin bulking up on whatever early vegetation (or the past winter’s leftover carcasses) is available.
The bears, after leaving their dens, stay at low elevation where forage greens up first – which puts them in among the rest of us.
So, for those who have it, right now would be a good time to pull out your bearspray canister and check its expiry date. For those who don’t have bear spray (tsk, tsk), it’s time to invest a few bucks in your future safety.
Please remember, our bears aren’t just a feature of the farthest reaches of the backcountry, they can also be found near, or within, our townsites.
Bears can be kilometres away from you, or right around the corner on your favourite trail. And, after a long winter’s hibernation, they’re hungry.
Keep that in mind, they’re hungry.
Along with carrying bearspray, of course, one should have proper knowledge of its use.
