“Staying Alive” in the Golden Backcountry

Temps might have been low but the stoke was high this past Wednesday, December 7th in Golden, BC.  Just over one hundred backcountry enthusiasts came together for a refresher of avalanche safety and to hear how the local conditions were shaping up for the upcoming touring season.  The “Staying Alive” conference featured presentations from the Kicking Horse Safety Team and Avalanche Canada.



Ryan Harvey from the Kicking Horse Safety team went over the ins and outs of prepping Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for a safe ski season.  Kicking Horse is a touring favourite for locals who go off the resort to hunt powder on the Dogtooth mountain range.  From rallying crews of boot packers tromping the terrain to stabilize the layers, to making boundary areas as obvious as possible, to detonating and triggering avalanches with explosives, these guys (and dogs) have been busy!

Ryan explained that the early season was a bit unusual.  October saw a significant snowfall, followed by mild temps which allowed the snow to settle relatively well. However recent snowfall, and cold temperatures will likely change that story in the coming weeks.  Ryan noted 2 layers of possible concern from the early season snowfall, a November 12 crust with faceted crystals and a December 3rd surface hoar.

For an overview of those conditions, check out this video from SkiingGolden.com where Ryan explains more about what his crew has seen, and what to watch out for if you are planning to tour in the Golden area.