Posted:
May 9, 2021
Safety program well managed but improvements can be made
The Office of the Auditor General of British Columbia has released a new audit report: Avalanche Safety on Provincial Highways.
The audit examined whether the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is effectively managing its avalanche safety program to: ensure the safety of highway users; and minimize the frequency and duration of avalanche-related road closures.
Key findings
Overall, the audit concluded that the ministry is effective in its management of the avalanche safety program.
“There haven’t been any avalanche-related deaths on provincial highways in the last 20 years,” said Michael Pickup, auditor general. “And over a similar time frame, both the frequency and duration of highway closures have shown a decreasing trend. That’s good news. But our audit also found areas the ministry can improve on.”
I was 23 when I started backcountry skiing. I’d been recreating in the mountains my entire life, resort skiing, backpacking, and climbing volcanoes in the Cascades. I’d taken a National Outdoor Leadership School mountaineering course, and I was writing for a ski magazine. And yet I felt completely lost about where to start. So I borrowed some gear and took an American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level 1 course, which at the time seemed like the only way to begin.
AIARE’s three-day recreational Level 1 comprises 24 hours of education, usually about eight hours of classroom learning followed by two eight-hour field days, and offers a crash course in snow safety, avalanche terrain, and companion rescue. It has long been the standard entry point for backcountry beginners.
Persistent weak layers, an increase in backcountry skiing and metres of fresh powder. We chat with Adrian Ballinger about the unique dangers this winter has presented.
UM study abroad canceled through July
Study abroad travel through the University of Montana is restricted through July 31, Associate Director of Global Engagement Marja Unkuri-Chaudhry stated in an email sent to some University faculty and staff. She stated that the decision was made after considering several factors, including national travel advisories, emerging COVID-19 variants and difficulty with vaccine rollout.Â
âUniversity of Montana recognizes the importance of life-changing international experiences and the vaccine provides hope that the university community can soon take advantage of these opportunities again,â Unkuri-Chaudhry stated in the email.Â
The UM International Travel Review Committee will regroup in May to make decisions for UM-sponsored travel beyond July. Faculty and staff, and potentially some graduate students, can apply for exceptions. But no exceptions will be made for undergraduate students.Â
Credit Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
In the first week of February, avalanches in the United States killed at least 14 people. That s the highest number of deaths in a seven-day period for at least a century.
Experts say it s partly because more people are out in the backcountry. I think starting in March, with the closure of so many ski resorts, many people turned to ski touring in the backcountry in order to recreate outside in perhaps a safer way in the pandemic standpoint, said avalanche educator Jenna Malone. Malone works for the American Avalanche Institute.
Most of the deaths are a result of a persistent slab avalanche problem. That means there is weak snow in the snowpack, andthe normal signs and stability tests that people are trained to do to avoid avalanches aren t there, Malone said.