What do you do when you wake up to blue skies, fresh snow and this sobering report from the Canadian Avalanche Centre?
What concerns us is an expected lull in the stormy weather this weekend, which will give backcountry users an opportunity to get up into the alpine,” explains Karl Klassen, Manager of the CAC’s Public Avalanche Warning Services. “But there’s up to two metres of new snow in the high country that has not yet stabilized, on top of those same deeply buried weak layers we’ve been concerned about for the past month.”
The CAC has received numerous reports of very large avalanches throughout the warning area during the storm over the past week. “Many slopes are at or close to the tipping point,” warns Klassen. “Very large, very destructive avalanches are expected this weekend. Some of these will likely overrun low angle terrain, striking valley bottom and it’s possible that historical boundaries will be extended in some avalanche paths.”
Risk is 5 above the trees, 4 in the trees.
http://www.avalanche.ca/uploads/SPAW/Special%20Warning%20March%2015%202012.pdf
