By Kevin Duncan
Kevin@thecrag.ca
Tuesday May 06, 2008
Popular hiking trails are susceptible to sliding as spring avalanche conditions continue.
Plain of Six Glaciers, Lake Agnes, Saddleback, Emerald Lake and Sulphur Mountain all have warning signs cautioning users of the risk.
“All these trails are threatened. It’s not a permanent closure but it’s not recommended to be there in the heat of the day,” said Aaron Beardmore, Parks Canada mountain safety specialist. Parks Canada’s mountain safety team is transitioning from winter to summer, and although they will continue to be in the field periodically testing areas, they will not be providing daily avalanche bulletins.
The official season for the bulletins typically ends annually on May 1. With this season’s lingering winter any significant changes will be updated accordingly.
“If things revert back to a mid-winter snowpack we will provide updated posts,” said Beardmore.
Backcountry enthusiasts seeking to take advantage of the spring snow pack are reminded to head out early in the morning when temperatures are still cool. As the snowpack heats up there is a greater chance of wetter avalanches coming down.
The hazard at this point is variable and can range from low in the morning when the snowpack is frozen, to high in the afternoon when the snowpack begins to warm up.
The persistent weak basal layers in the snow pack create the potential for full depth avalanches when things start to warm up, according to the spring avalanche bulletin, adding that recent snowfalls have created a variety of wind slabs that may need to be evaluated prior to skiing.
Parks Canada is also reminding users to pay particular attention to how quickly the day time temperatures are increasing, and how solid the over night freeze is.
Also, if it is raining the snow pack will quickly lose strength and the hazard will rise rapidly.
For information on trails and updated risks associated with them visit the Information Centre in Banff or in Lake Louise.
Publisher: Kim Oliver Proprietor and published by Bowes Publishers Limited at 201 Bear Street, Banff, Alberta, Canada T1L 1H2
