Hi everyone,
I am new to the area (and Canada ;D) and BCMC and need some tips:
- Is "Avalanche Canada" THE official source for avalanche danger rating?
- What, in your opinion, is the best source for weather forecasts?
- I'd prefer to buy some maps rather than exclusively relying on a GPS device: Is there a map provider you can recommend for BC (backcountry skiing/hiking/combined)?
Thank you very much & looking forward to meeting you!
Marie-Louise
Hi Marie-Louise,
Yes avalanche canada is the official source for avy danger rating. There is a lot of info that is worth exploring into it. Even weather forecast is detailed into the region. Just look under Details. For more weather forecasts, I also use www.mountain-forecast.com/ and https://spotwx.com . Its a good way to compare the models and see if they agree with each other. For hard copy maps, I find them at MEC store or Valhalla Pure on Broadway. That would be your best bet in finding maps. Usually 1:50 000 maps are just fine. The bible for backcountry skiing is John Baldwin's guidebook. He also published maps for skiing that go with the book.
I hope that helps
Best Regards
Oudi
It would be highly recommended that you take an Avalanche course if you have not done so already. If you have taken one in a different country, consider just taking an avalanche refresher course at a minimum or maybe AST-2 so you get an idea of what the snow in BC is like comparatively. The question of "do you have AST-1?" is pretty much a common question most organizers will ask before taking someone on backcountry skiing or snowshoeing.
John Baldwin maps can be good (but I heard his North Coast hiking map is lackluster). I also like Clark Geomatics maps... they cover all of Garibaldi park in one map for example instead of needing to piece a couple different topo maps from the Canadian Government.
Thank you both very much for your help.
Yes, I took an avalanche course in Germany and I am planning to do AST 1 in two weeks to refresh everything and learn the vocabulary.