The Avalanche Canada South Rockies Field Team covers the South Rockies and Lizard Range/Flathead public avalanche forecast regions. This dedicated team of avalanche professional includes Les Crawley, Lisa Larson and Jen Coulter.

The team gathers snowpack information that is used to produce the daily forecasts for the South Rockies and Lizard Range/Flathead regions. Team members also play a vital role in fostering a culture of avalanche safety in the region, through in-person meetings and their highly popular social media feeds.

Here’s a fun video from the South Rockies Field Team as they were out “travelling” on the crust.

This season marks 11 years of Avalanche Canada’s South Rockies field team, all thanks to Teck. Teck’s sponsorship directly supports this field team that has brought a decade of avalanche outreach to the region. The program was created in response to the Sparwood 8, an avalanche tragedy that claimed the lives of eight Sparwood snowmobilers.

Here are two recent posts from the Field Team:

Tuesday Dec. 7th, “Rocky…then crusty. At treeline there was 10 cm of super light, soft snow over the crust that made for easy travel, but not the most fun riding. There were light west winds and it was snowing very lightly all day. Our snow pit at 2200 m on east aspect didn’t show any concerning results and we didn’t see any new natural avalanches either. Incoming snow and strong winds will up the danger ratings for Wednesday. Below 1650 m there is very little snow making for an ugly, rugged ride in.”

Friday, Dec 3, “With low expectations you might still be disappointed. Started the day with a two kilometer sled on dirt from Corbin. Climbing up, the snow started around 1750m and got deeper as we went. Our high point was 2200m and we found 90cm of snow there. A quick pit showed no concerning failures. Everywhere we travelled had a hard rain crust that ruined riding conditions. It looked like it extended further into the alpine as well.Do your snow dance!”

Avalanche Canada posted earlier today that we’re entering a period of uncertainty and rising avalanche danger for most regions. We have a slippery crust, with a persistent weak layer on it, and new snow on top- which could mean the snowpack is touchy! Avalanches might propagate widely and run faster than expected on the crust. If you’re heading out, don’t forget to post to the Mountain Information Network.
Get the forecast.

Follow the South Rockies Field Team here:
Facebook: facebook.com/avcansouthrockies
Instagram: instagram.com/avcansouthrockies/