Special avalanche warning for central Rockies with 'highly volatile' conditions

Backcountry skiers are dwarfed by the mountains as they make their way along a mountain ridge near McGillivray Pass Lodge located in the southern Chilcotin Mountains of British Columbia on Jan. 10, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Avalanche Canada has issued a public warning for the central Rockies saying there have been several large avalanches over the last two weeks.

It says two slides have been fatal and the snowpack “remains primed for human-triggering.”

The warning covers Banff and Jasper national parks and the Kananaskis area in Alberta, as well as Yoho and Kootenay parks in B.C.

The agency says weak layers have been buried under up to 90 centimetres of snow dumped by recent storms, with more fresh snow on the way.

Natural avalanche activity is beginning to taper off, but it says the storm snow will perpetuate “an unstable and highly volatile situation.”

Elsewhere in B.C., an agency map shows the danger rating at level four out of five across the coast mountains and Sea to Sky area, including Squamish, Whistler and the Fraser Valley, as well as E.C. Manning Park.

The danger is also ranked at level four in mountains on the west coast of Vancouver Island and in the Stewart area on the north coast.

In the Kootenay region, the danger is ranked at level three or “considerable.”

The special public warning for the central Rockies notes avalanches may be triggered from a distance, and warming, sunny weather and storms increase the likelihood of a slide being triggered.

It says people heading into the backcountry should choose low-angle terrain without overhead hazards.

Snowfall warnings from Environment Canada area also in effect for B.C. along the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt and Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton.

The weather office says 20 to 30 centimetres of snow is expected in both areas before easing Friday night.

This report by Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press, was first published March 21, 2025.