After the latest death toll from avalanches in British Columbia, which totaled three deaths on Thursday, a guide and mountaineer offer their advice and useful information on how to be well prepared.
• Also read: Three dead, four injured in BC avalanche
Guillaume Otis, President of Coast Mountain Guides, presented three tools that mountain guides must have and master when searching for victims after an avalanche: the beacon to locate the buried person, the probe to mark the person’s position and the shovel to dig it off.
For Guillaume Otis it is necessary to practice well how to use these three tools, but also to understand that the mountain is a dangerous place.
There is also a ball, similar to an “airbag”, which gives a 95% chance of getting out in the event of an avalanche, but the guide states that this accessory is expensive.
This “airbag”, which must deploy when the skier is hit by an avalanche, is useful to make the victim visible and to protect their head in the event of an impact. It also allows a greater distance to be maintained around the victim, allowing them to breathe better while waiting for help.
François-Guy Thivierge, mountaineering researcher, explained that several measures can be taken to prepare for or avoid an avalanche.
“Large ski resorts can throw bombs to set off avalanches. After that, the guides must have the detailed locations of the avalanche conditions and after that, the skiers must be equipped with locators and search devices to find people buried under avalanches,” he detailed on the airwaves of LCN.
However, the expert specified that the best solution is to abstain when the conditions are in doubt.
It is recalled that the avalanches in British Columbia also caused four casualties, making this assessment one of the worst in the province in a decade.
“The condition of our snow pack is critical, it all started at the beginning of the season with the assertion of La Niña, that weather system that is found in the Pacific and offers slightly different conditions here in the west. ‘ Mr. Otis clarified, adding, ‘The vertical structure [du manteau neigeux] consists of several stubborn fragile layers, so you have to be careful”.