Avalanche centre issues special warning after 4 deaths over 6 days

REVELSTOKE, B.C. – A warning has been issued by the Canadian Avalanche Centre after four deaths over six days in B.C. and Alberta.

Karl Klassen of the Public Avalanche Warning Service says unstable layers of snow have been a significant problem for weeks and areas once considered safe may not be now.

Klassen says the two deaths involving snowmobiles in B.C. occurred in forestry cut blocks, where logging had occurred, which means it's no longer safe riding below the treeline.

Until conditions improve, the centre recommends that those using the backcountry should travel on small, low-angle terrain and avoid large slopes.

Two people were killed in an avalanche Saturday while snowshoeing with a group near Lake Louis, Alta.

Klassen says it's important that all backcountry users have essential equipment like an avalanche transceiver, a probe and a shovel, regardless of expected conditions.