Editor:
It is that time of year again when we have to be concerned about avalanche awareness.
When planning backcountry skiing or snowshoeing it is important to know whether or not you are going into avalanche terrain, and to know what avalanche terrain is.
If you know you are going to be in avalanche terrain, it is important to take an avalanche awareness course and develop skills by taking a transceiver practice day (the Alpine Club of Canada holds one every year). Check the Alpine Club of Canada Rocky Mountain Section on the Internet for the next course.
I have discovered that a lot of people who are new to the Bow Valley and mountain sports have no idea what is safe and what is not safe winter terrain. For instance, Baldy Pass Trail from the south, in Kananaskis Country, may seem like an innocent winter hike/snowshoe, but there is a big avalanche hazard in the upper reaches of this trail.
Last June, I was hiking this trail with my hiking group and we had to cross over a huge snow patch that was the result of an avalanche earlier in the year. In contrast, Baldy Pass Trail from the north can be hiked/snowshoed/skied for a long way before getting into a danger zone. Recognizing a danger zone is important for your safety.
Avalanche transceivers are not magic wands. Having one person in your group with a transceiver is completely useless. Everyone in the group needs to have a transceiver, a shovel and a probe and they have to know how to use them. Otherwise, don’t go into avalanche terrain and don’t follow someone who does. It is your life that could be at stake if you do.
Some time ago, Grant Stathan spearheaded the establishment of the ATES scale that grades trails. Check into this before following anyone who may say they are experienced. Details are at: www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/online-course/terrain/ATES.
Ruthie Oltmann,
Exshaw
