Avalanche safety in the northern Rockies region, including Prince George, will be getting a boost.
The provincial government awarded a 10-million grant to Avalanche Canada, which will allow for daily forecasting in our area.
Executive Director, Gilles Valade told Vista Radio putting more resources into the north has been on their radar for a while.
“We have had a need for more information from the North Rockies area for years now and it’s always a funding issue. When we have enough funding we can do these things but when we don’t we can’t so the funding has been very unpredictable.”
This past winter was a deadly one in the backcountry.
Two snowmobilers were killed in separate incidents near Pine Lemoray Provincial Park, east of Mackenzie while a skier was killed in an avalanche near Mount Robson Provincial Park.
Valade added they often get their data from professional sources like heli-skiers, resorts, and the Ministry of Highways, but most of it is focused in the southern half of BC.
“There are not a lot of heli or cat skiing operators and even fewer ski resorts meaning a lot less presence so we have to have more people in the field. By having a few more people it increases the amount of data that we have and it produces better forecasts.”
“We have to be a bit more specific when we provide information to the public on the snow conditions, our travel advice, and all the information for people to make the right decisions in the backcountry.”
The North Rockies region stretches from Prince George north to Williston Lake, east to Chetwynd and Grande Cache as well as southeast along Highway 16 past McBride.
Nine out of this past winter’s 10 avalanche fatalities occurred in B.C., and historically 75% of all Canadian avalanche fatalities occur in this province according to Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.
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