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Experts remind British Columbians to be prepared when heading into backcountry
This weekend s snowfall and last week s cold snap have created unusual conditions in some backcountry areas, particularly on B.C. s South Coast, experts say and they re reminding folks to be prepared any time they head outdoors.
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Dirk Meissner
Children make their way up a closed Whistler Mountain to toboggan in Whistler, B.C. Sunday, March 15, 2020. An Avalanche Canada snow expert says a recent cold snap followed by snowfall in British Columbia s south coastal region has resulted in unusual and tricky conditions in mountain areas frequented by back country enthusiasts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward February 15, 2021 - 4:47 PM
VICTORIA - Cold winds followed by snowfall in British Columbia s south coastal region has produced unusual and tricky avalanche conditions in mountain areas frequented by backcountry enthusiasts, says an Avalanche Canada spokesman.
The frigid winds from the north and east last week and the weekend s snowfall created unstable slabs of snow that are not bonding well with mountain surfaces, especially in the Whistler area, Ilya Storm said Monday.
Conditions are not typical for this part of B.C., Storm said in an interview from Revelstoke. The snowpack structure is not typical. The location of the problems in the terrain are different. People should be going out with some extra caution over the next little while because we don t think this is going to heal very quickly.
Whistler RCMP reported two deaths and several injuries after skiers and snowboarders were caught in separate avalanches in the Blackcomb Glacier and Brandywine Bowl areas.
Police said Saturday they responded to four serious search and rescue calls and asked skiers and snowboarders to avoid the backcountry.
Feb 16, 2021 12:06 AM Russ Byth
Canada’s covid-19 vaccination efforts are expected to get a big boost this week as the federal government prepares for a ramp up in the delivery of shots from Pfizer following a month-long lull. The Public Health Agency of Canada says it expects more than 335-thousand doses to be delivered this week… 400-thousand if they can get 6 doses out of a vial. Pfizer has said it will make good on its promise to deliver a total of 4 million doses by the end of March.
The latest covid-19 update from Big White show just one new case of the virus in the past week for a total of 236 since the cluster outbreak began. Ten are currently active. Of all the cases of COVID-19 linked to this cluster, 149 have resided and/or worked on the mountain.