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New avalanche signage for the backcountry

Nelson Daily Staff
By Nelson Daily Staff
January 12th, 2011

Backcountry enthusiasts will now have access to better information for evaluating snow conditions and assessing avalanche risks, thanks to new avalanche awareness signage around the province.

Avalanche awareness signs targeting mountain snowmobilers have been posted at 23 key highway locations and most of the 85 managed snowmobile areas in the province.

These signs advise sledders they are entering avalanche territory and provide a telephone number and website address that gives up-to-date local avalanche conditions.

Avaluator signage, providing users with step-by-step instructions for assessing avalanche dangers, will be installed at nine of B.C.’s most popular snowmobile trail access sites. The signs provide a map of the area, which includes a visual representation of how risky the terrain is in relation to avalanches.

Avaluator signs

  Avaluator Signs are located:

– Near Golden: Gorman Lake, Quartz Creek, Silent Pass

– Near Revelstoke: Frisby Ridge, Boulder Mountain

– Near Sicamous: Owl Head, Blue Lake, Eagle Pass, Queest Mountain

• Avaluator signs were created using the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES). With these new signs, mapped snowmobiling terrain in the province has quadrupled—complete drainages are now mapped so sledders can see clearly where the risk of avalanches changes on the trail.

Snowmobile trail areas 

• Click on http://www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca/search/search-facility-activity-results.aspx

Avalanche safety tips

• Get the training — a two-day Avalanche Skills Training course is your first step

• Get the gear — everyone in the party needs a beacon, probe and shovel

• Choose your terrain according to the conditions of the day — always check the bulletin at: http://www.avalanche.ca

Learn more

  Check out the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s website: http://www.avalanche.ca

• Want to know the local snowmobile clubs in your area? Visit the of Association of British Columbia Snowmobile Clubs website: http://www.abcsnow.ca/ or the BC Snowmobile Federation’s website at: http://www.bcsf.org

• Learn more about avalanche skills training: http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/training/ast

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