If you’ve ever complained about the Spray Lakes Road above Canmore being closed take a look at the avalanche debris piled across the road. Imagine you and your car somewhere down in the Grassi Lakes Valley! The two photos by Kananaskis Country Public Safety Section are from yesterday’s avalanche control. Wow!
Backcountry Avalanche Safety
The Canadian Avalanche Centre has produced a new version of the Avaluator! So what’s new? Obvious Clues are gone. There is a new Slope Evaluation card that uses a rules-based approach to travel in avalanche terrain, and the old Trip Planner, used as a basis for the Online Avaluator, is still there. Here are the details.
A new Avalanche Danger Scale was announced today by Environment Minister Jim Prentice. Developed under the leadership of Parks Canada’s Grant Statham, and several years in the making, the new scale will be implemented for next winter, though there’s no reason why you can’t refer to it now.
The ability to read terrain is the most important skill to develop if you wish to enjoy the winter backcountry safely. Parks Canada has developed a terrain rating system that evaluates the complexity of avalanche terrain and makes recommendations on the suitability of avalanche terrain for various users.
Check out this excellent video on Strategic Shovelling from Backcountry Access (BAC). It highlights the research done by Dale Atkins and Bruce Edgerly on the most efficient method of digging your buried companion from under an avalanche. Accompanying text from Backcountry Avalanche Safety.
