As the season moves into winter, the backcountry becomes a paradise for adventure-seekers looking to enjoy all that the local mountain ranges have to offer.
However, itsa国际传媒檚 also time to get smart about the dangers of avalanches.
Avalanche Canada is set to begin daily avalanche forecasts next week, however, given the early arrival of snow, forecasters are telling the public to get the proper safety training and equipment and be aware of conditions before heading out into the backcountry.
Snowfall depth and quality is currently inconsistent in various parts of the region, depending on how high the elevations are, says Grant Helgeson, a forecaster with Avalanche Canada.
sa国际传媒淭hat tells us a couple things,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淥ne, itsa国际传媒檚 incredibly spatially variable right now. Two, itsa国际传媒檚 a lot of work on your skis, sled or snowshoes to actually get up high to the places that we want to ride.
sa国际传媒淭he other side of that, is as we chase that snow up into the higher terrain, wesa国际传媒檙e actually going right to where any early season avalanche problems exist because if there is enough snow to ride, theresa国际传媒檚 enough snow to slide.sa国际传媒�
The beginning of winter can mean consistent freeze-thaw cycles as the season slowly shifts to colder weather.
That can help set up the mountain terrain for a nice base of snow, Helgeson said.
sa国际传媒淵ou take all that loose powder show and you give it a few freeze-thaw cycles and it shrinks, it gets shorter, it gets denser, and that can really be a nice base,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淏ut we often look at the freeze-thaw from the valley location, and that freeze-thaw might actually not be occurring in the upper elevations.
sa国际传媒淚 think in some places it can remain quite cold and windy with a decent amount of snow, say 40-70 centimetres to push around into fresh wind slabs.sa国际传媒�
Below the treeline, the freeze-thaw cycle helps to establish the snowpack, however, up in the alpine region, all bets are off.
Getting reacquainted with proper safety procedures and training with the right equipment will help prevent any backcountry mishaps, Helgeson added.
sa国际传媒淥ne thing that happens early seasons, is down low itsa国际传媒檚 easy for us to get complacent,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 difficult to remember to even turn your transceiver on when yousa国际传媒檙e standing on dirt at the valley bottom.
Helgeson recommends that backcountry users take the time to learn how to properly work the transceiver and put in fresh batteries and also inspect your shovel and snow probe.
sa国际传媒淭hen start to think about that, start to think about what yousa国际传媒檇 do in an avalanche rescue,sa国际传媒� Helgeson said.
Taking an Avalanche Skills Training Level One course at the beginning of the season is a great way to get grounded in the proper procedures and safety protocols surrounding avalanche danger, Helgeson said.
Helgeson also encourages backcountry users to submit information and snow conditions to the on the Avalanche Canada website. He says users wonsa国际传媒檛 be obligated to give up their secret specific recreation locations, but any information, including pictures, would be helpful to forecasters.
