Hello everyone,

I am one of the Mountain Safety Program Specialists for Parks Canada.  I was just distributing pamphlets and posters this morning to info centers and stores – I couldn’t help but think of all the folks we are missing on line - place where both myself and my husband go to get info.  So I have THREE MESSAGES to get out on behalf of the avalanche forecasting team for Parks Canada. Please help me out and pass on this post or let me know if there are other sites I should target

First: Today, November 1st, is DAY ONE of writing the AVALANCHE BULLETIN for Yoho, Kootenay, and Banff National Parks.  Over the last couple of days we’ve had teams up to Bow Summit & Sunshine checkin’ out the snow.  Check out the bulletin at http://www.avalanche.ca. Other mountain condition info (for ice/snow) is posted on the mountain conditions report (http://www.acmg.ca/mcr).  If you ever need to get more specific info, you can phone one of the park mountain safety program specialists (all certified ACMG/IFMGA mountain guides 403-762-1470.

Second: If you remember… in the Rockies… we had a horrible start to last winter with 3 avalanche fatalities (2 skiers on Tent ridge, 1 ice climber on Mt Sparrowhawk).  We also had several close calls (thanks for reporting them on the avalanche.ca site!! It helps!). These were all before xmas or before the real winter begins!!  Unfortunately, this is becoming a trend and it’s likely someone will die in an avalanche between now and Christmas– LETS STOP IT!  We’ve set out on a media campaign to remind ice climbers & skiers, help us pass it on –This is the message:

ICE CLIMBERS – think “what if”, it’s easy to go climb routes in early season that no sane person would go to in February, but all you have to do is step on a little pocket of snow… even a small avalanche can kill if it pushes you off a cliff or off the route, and just because you can’t see snow on your route doesn’t mean it’s not there.  Wind can deposit unstable pockets of snow in unexpected places.

SKIERS & BOARDERS – ease into the winter, the early season Rockies snowpack is thin, windblown and patchy, it’s often at its weakest state of the year.  Know how to recognize and avoid windslab conditions and wind-loaded slopes.  It’s easy to get psyched with those first few dumps of snow, but often the places that look desirable are windloaded features because everything else is rocky. It may be exactly where you don’t want to be!  Save the big terrain until later in the season, maybe even spring!

Third:
Upcoming Avalanche awareness workshops/events:
At the Banff Center November 22, 2008 http://www.avalanche.ca/CAC_Training_Workshop

Lake Louise – at the Visitor Information Centre Monday, December 8, 2008 – Enjoy some choice films from the Banff Film Festival, awesome door prizes, and some short presentations from local avalanche experts.

THANKS 
Lisa Paulson
Parks Canada – Mountain Safety Programs Specialist
Banff, Yoho, Kootenay National Parks Canada
403-762-1470