Avalanche Canada has issued a special warning about risky conditions for backcountry users.
Officials say the North Rockies, the Cariboos, and half a dozen other regions, have a weak layer of snow at lower elevations, which has left the snowpack at and below the treeline more dangerous than the alpine.
Forecasters are worried the unusual situation will catch backcountry users off guard and say many close calls have already been reported over the past few days.
“With this layer, the trees are not the safe haven they normally are,” explains Senior Avalanche Forecaster Grant Helgeson in a news release. “And identifying avalanche terrain in these lower elevations can be difficult. You need to be aware of smaller slopes like cutblocks, roadcuts, gullies or even just openings in the trees. This is where the weak layer will be a problem and where it’s primed for human-triggered avalanches.”
The special warning remains in effect to the end of Sunday.
