Avalanche Canada out with safety tips

It’s that time of year when people like to flock to the mountains and hit up the slopes, but it’s best to keep in mind that there is a risk of avalanches. With the drastic changes in weather we’ve been experiencing, the chances of an avalanche are a bit higher and an official with Avalanche Canada has some tips if you are caught in one.

“You need to have the dedicated tools to go out there and conduct an avalanche rescue. So you need a shovel, a dedicated snow shovel, a probe, and an avalanche transceiver. It got to be a modern three-antenna avalanche transceiver Then if you are involved in an avalanche, or someone in your group is involved in an avalanche, you got to get to them quick. You’ve got ten kind of fifteen minutes max to get to them, so you’re not going to be calling out for first aid, you’re not going to be calling for a helicopter rescue, you are the rescuer. You need to get out there and find your friends underneath the snow,” said Grant Helgeson, Senior Avalanche Forecaster with Avalanche Canada.

If you are planning on heading out, Avalanche Canada says it’s best to check the forecast on the mountain beforehand.