Avalanche warning issued for Sea to Sky corridor
Avalanche Canada says conditions are highly dangerous, especially in alpine and treeline areas
Heavy snow followed by warming temperatures is raising the avalanche danger in some parts of the province to high.
Avalanche Canada has issued warnings for today and tomorrow for the mountains on the South Coast along the Sea to Sky corridor through Whistler.
"Big changes are hard on the snowpack and can give surprising results." reads the Avalanche Canada forecast for the Sea to Sky region. "Rein in your terrain use and stick to simple terrain with no consequence."
The website states both alpine and tree line terrain have a high danger rating.
Avalanche control will close Highway 99 in both directions 50 kilometres north of Pemberton in the Duffy Lake Area today between 10:00 a.m. PT and 1:00 p.m. PT. Updates will be posted on DriveBC.
Interior warnings
Avalanche Canada is also advising of unusual conditions stretching from the South Rockies through several regions and up to the Northwest regions.
Because the situation is localized, regional avalanche forecasts may not reflect the conditions in a particular area and Avalanche Canada is urging backcountry users to be very cautious.
Search and rescue experts are also warning snowmobilers, skaters and ice fishermen to carefully assess ice on rivers and lakes to ensure it remains at least 15 centimetres thick for walking or skating, 20 centimetres for groups, and 25 centimetres for snowmobiles.
With files from The Canadian Press