The risk of a natural avalanche is decreasing in many parts of British Columbia but officials warn that human-caused slides are still likely.
Avalanche Canada says natural avalanche activity is expected to decline through this weekend for the Lower Mainland but the snowpack in the Sea to Sky area is still primed for human triggering and hazards are higher at alpine elevations along the south coast.
The risk is higher on both sides of the Alberta boundary, where Parks Canada says there are “very dangerous” avalanche conditions in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks.
The latest bulletin urges people to avoid avalanche terrain entirely in those parks, where up to 70 centimetres of snowfall has overloaded a weak snowpack and natural avalanches are still likely.
In the North and South Columbia regions, the agency says the best and safest backcountry riding will be found in the trees on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties, and it urges members of the public to act conservatively as the snowpack continues to adjust.
RCMP say they are investigating the death of a backcountry skier who was buried by an avalanche on Thursday near Pemberton, B.C.