Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Snowpack stabilizes but dangers remain

The snowpack has stabilized somewhat in the last week and the Canadian Avalanche Centre rates the avalanche danger in the alpine as Moderate in the Sea to Sky region through Friday.

The snowpack has stabilized somewhat in the last week and the Canadian Avalanche Centre rates the avalanche danger in the alpine as Moderate in the Sea to Sky region through Friday.

However, for the Duffey Lake and Inland areas the rating in the alpine is Considerable.

Whistler Blackcomb's Wednesday Backcountry Avalanche Advisory rated the danger as Considerable in the alpine through Friday. The Nov. 30 facet-crust weakness is still very much a concern, Whistler Blackcomb reported.

The situation may change again this weekend as there's a 40 per cent chance of flurries Sunday.

"This being the beginning of the holiday season, many people are eager to hit the backcountry or go outside ski area boundaries," said Karl Klassen, the avalanche centre's public avalanche bulletins manager.

While conditions are safer than they were last weekend, when the CAC issued a special bulletin about the instability of the snowpack in the south coast region, backcountry users still need to be prepared.

"You need to choose routes that are appropriate for the conditions," Avalanche Forecaster Cam Campbell said in an interview. "You need to get the gear and get the training. The gear includes an avalanche transceiver, shovel and a probe, and you need to get training to learn how to use it and recognize signs of unstable snow."

"Generally speaking the snowpack is better, stronger than it was last year," Klassen said. "We don't have the very deep basal instabilities near the ground that we had last year."