[MCR] David Thompson

I'm doing some avalanche forecasting work at the Canadian Avalanche Centre and we are setting up a new forecast region in the David Thompson area on the east slope of the Alberta Rockies. The region is described as follows:

 

The Rocky Mountains between the Alberta/BC boundary and the Forestry Trunk Road, north of the Red Deer River. The northern boundary goes east on the Cline River, north on the height of land between Coral and McDonald Creeks, east through Coral Lake to the confluence of the Bighorn River and Sunkay Creek, then parallel to highway 11 through Shunda Creek, and then encircles Nordegg.

 

Users in this area will mostly be sledders and ice climbers. There's probably a bit of mountaineering going on and maybe some ski touring in the western reaches of the region. There have been at least three fatalities in the area in recent years so we feel it's important to provide some information to these user groups.

 

We need data. There are some remote sensing stations, a couple of forestry workers, and one local guiding outfit/mountain school in the region, but the data stream is pretty thin.

 

If anyone is in this area, we'd appreciate your taking the time to send us some information. ACMG members can post to informalex or MCR and we'll get the info. Others can post info online by going to www.avalanche.ca then clicking on "Discussion" and posting in the "Central Rockies" forum. You can also send an email to forecaster@avalanche.ca or phone the CAC office at 250-837-2435 and ask to speak to a forecaster. We could use information about weather conditions, avalanche activity, and snowpack observations. Formal/profession or informal/recreational obs are all of use and interest to us. In addition, if you are familiar with the area and know a good source for mountain/technical weather forecasts, we'd love to hear from you. Other than public forecasts for Nordegg we are not aware of any winter weather forecast products for this region.

 

If you often visit the area or are a local, call us if you are willing to become a regular observer.

 

You can check out the David Thompson region report at www.avalanche.ca in the "Bulletins" area. While there, you can sign up to get the David Thompson report by email: look on the left side of the page and click on the "Subscribe to Email" link. If you'd like to have the report faxed to you, call 250-837-2435 and give us your fax number.

 

Karl Klassen
Mountain Guide
1735 Westerburg Road
Revelstoke, BC  V0E 2S1
Canada
250-837-3733
kklassen@rctvonline.net