An avalanche was reported at Big White Ski Resort's Cliff area, April 19, 2021.
Image Credit: Facebook/Big White Ski Resort
April 19, 2021 - 10:47 AM
An overnight avalanche at Big White as the resort urging snowmobilers to avoid a certain area of the mountain.
There was an avalanche within the resort's controlled recreational boundary last night, April 18, in an area called the Cliff.
“There shouldn’t be any snowmobilers out there, there shouldn’t be any foot traffic out there, there shouldn’t be anyone there because the resort is closed,” Big White senior vice president Michael Ballingall said.
“People are taking their life into their own hands, obviously avalanches are dangerous and we’re just warning the public to stay out of the area.”
Ballingall said the avalanche class was a size 2. According to Avalanche Canada, a size 2 avalanche can bury, injure or kill a person.
Since the resort is closed no avalanche preparations are taking place and there are no safety measures in place, he said.
Because of the warmer temperatures, snow is melting at a faster pace and you can see there are snowmobile tracks in the area, he said.
The resort is reporting temperatures will reach a high of 10 C today, April 19, with highs of 13 Celsius tomorrow and 14 C on Wednesday.
“We’re very nervous about this and we’d just like to warn the public to stay out of the area,” Ballingall said.
Avalanche Canada has listed the danger level for avalanches at higher elevations in the area as moderate.
Image Credit: Facebook/Big White Ski Resort
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