Avalanche centre issues special warning for much of B.C.’s backcountry

REVELSTOKE, B.C. – The Canadian Avalanche Centre has issued a special warning for the public to use extreme caution in British Columbia's backcountry this weekend.

The centre's Karl Klassen says the main concern is warm, possibly record-breaking temperatures, which will destabilize an already unstable snowpack, leading to surface slides.

The warning involves most regions in B.C., including the north and south coast, Sea to Sky, north and south Rockies, Cariboos, the Purcells, Kootenay-Boundary, and the north and south Columbias.

Klassen says the potential is there for very large, natural- and human-triggered avalanches.

He says it's common to have a false sense of security in good weather, and this weekend could lead people to underestimate the hazard.

The centre recommends that people with little or no avalanche training stay out of the terrain and that experienced backcountry enthusiasts keep away from steep slopes, especially when the sun is out.