Avalanches – Get Prepared
Avalanches are usually triggered by increased snow, rain, wind, or sudden warming. Human-triggered avalanches occur when the weight of a person or a machine causes failure. If the snowpack is unstable, avalanches can be triggered from many metres away.
On average, eleven people die in avalanches every year in Canada. In most avalanche accidents, the avalanche was triggered by the victim or someone in the victim’s party.
How to prepare before an avalanche
If you live or travel in areas that are at risk of avalanches, take steps to prepare yourself. If you’re planning outdoor recreation activities in the backcountry, prepare with addtional resources, courses, and essential safety equipment.
- Ensure you have an emergency kit for your vehicle
- If you plan to recreate in the winter backcountry, learn the basics of identifying avalanche terrain
- Be aware of where avalanches can form. They happen on slopes that are at least 25° steep, are at least the size of a tennis court (about 10 m X 10 m) and holding at least 30 cm of snow
- Understand the weather factors that can contribute to increased avalanche hazard
- Snowing 2 cm/hr for several hours
- Strong winds
- Sudden warming
- Recognize signs that indicate avalanche hazard is elevated
- Seeing shooting cracks in the snowpack around your feet
- Hearing a wumpf sound from the snowpack beneath your feet
- Seeing evidence of recent avalanches on nearby slopes
- Check the avalanche forecasts in your area
- Never travel alone in avalanche terrain
Road Safety
Most highways in Canada, exposed to avalanche terrain, have control teams that work to prevent avalanches. Occasionally throughout the winter, roads close to allow these teams to use explosives to trigger smaller, controlled avalanches. This lessens the possibility of larger, uncontrolled avalanches occurring when the highway is open.
- When highway avalanche control work is occurring, barriers are erected to stop traffic. Never go past a barrier or traffic control person into a closed avalanche zone
- If you are travelling through areas of Canada that are exposed to avalanche terrain, pay attention to local weather, news, and information outlets
- Stay informed about any road closures planned for avalanche control work
- Ensure that you have an emergency vehicle kit with you. Pack extra food, water, and blankets in case of an unexpected and extended road closure due to an avalanche or for avalanche control
- Never stop your vehicle in a section of highway that has been marked as an avalanche zone
- If you are stopped by an avalanche on the highway, turn around and get out of that zone before calling for help
Outdoor Recreation Safety
- Avalanche Canada provides daily avalanche forecasts for popular mountainous regions throughout the winter months. If you are travelling in the backcountry, always check the avalanche forecast before going out
- Never go into avalanche terrain alone
- Get the training. Take an Avalanche Canada Training course to learn how to recognize avalanche terrain, trip planning, and companion rescue
- Get the gear. Everyone in a backcountry group needs to carry the essential avalanche equipment—a transceiver, probe, and shovel—and know how to use it
- Companion rescue training is critical. If your group is involved in an avalanche, there is no time to go for help
- Research indicates there is just 10 minutes when the odds of recovering a buried victim alive is at 80%
- After that 10-minute window, the chances of survival drop steeply
Safety at home
- Learn about the history of and potential for avalanches in your area
- Learn how to recognize signs of increased avalanche hazard, which includes sustained and significant snowfall, high winds, and/or sudden warming during the winter months
- Know who to notify if you recognize these signs (e.g., municipal emergency centres and municipal engineers)
During an Avalanche
Road Safety
- If an avalanche causes your vehicle to leave the road, or if you are trapped on the highway, remain in your vehicle
- If possible, call 911 for help
Outdoor Recreation Safety
- Yell “AVALANCHE!” to alert others
- Try to escape by moving to the side of the avalanche
- Grab onto anything solid, such as trees or rocks, to avoid being swept away
If you are caught in the flow
- Try to remove any attached equipment such as skis, snowboard, or poles. If you’re on a snowmobile, push it away
- Fight to stay afloat. You may be able to stay on the surface using a swimming motion
- When the avalanche slows, try to push a hand towards the surface. Also try to keep a hand near your face to make an air pocket in front of your nose and mouth
- If you are near the surface when the avalanche stops, you may be able to move enough to create a breathing space or dig yourself out
- If you are under the surface and unable to move, relax your breathing and wait for your companions to rescue you
Safety at home
If indoors
- Find cover in the section of the building that is furthest away from the uphill side
If outdoors
- Move quickly away from its likely path, keeping clear of low spots in the terrain
After an Avalanche
Road Safety
If you are trapped in your vehicle as a result of an avalanche
- Beware of exhaust fumes. Turn off your engine since your vehicle may not be able to exhaust properly. Remember: you can't smell potentially fatal carbon monoxide fumes
- Keep an eye out for traffic or search and rescue teams. Use your hazard lights, flash your lights, or use the whistle in your vehicle’s emergency kit to signal first responders or others on the road
Outdoor Recreation Safety
- Use visual clues and/or your transceiver and probe to locate the buried victim and dig them out using your shovel
- Administer first aid if needed. Be aware of hypothermia, especially if the victim has been in the snow for an extended period
- Report the incident as soon as possible to the local authorities. This information will be critical for preventing further avalanche involvements
Safety at home
- If possible, leave the property until further safety can be assessed by a professional
- Report the incident as soon as possible to the local authorities
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