High avalanche risk keeps B.C. highways closed
3 people caught in avalanches on Thursday
Last Updated: Friday, January 9, 2009 | 8:13 AM PT
CBC News
Three days after heavy rain and snow swept through southern B.C., many mountain areas remained under an avalanche warning on Friday, keeping some highways closed and making travel in the backcountry extremely dangerous.
Access to several highways in the Kootenays has been cut off because of avalanches and avalanche risk in recent days. (CBC) The Canadian Avalanche Bulletin for the coming days rated nearly all areas of the province as either high or considerable risk.
On Thursday, at least three people were caught in avalanches, including a 39-year-old U.S. man who was buried for approximately 10 minutes while heli-skiing on Alice Mountain near Terrace.
The man's 20-year-old son was also partially buried, but was quickly rescued by guides and did not suffer serious injury.
In another incident in Whistler, the driver of a snow grooming machine was caught in an avalanche that pushed the machine approximately 100 metres down the side of the Pika's Traverse run.
The man suffered minor hand cuts from broken glass, but was able to stay inside the snowcat until help arrived.
Highways remain closed
Several highways across southern B.C. remained closed on Friday morning because of mudslides and avalanche debris, and a high risk of more avalanches.
Water rushes over mud and debris blocking the Coquihalla Highway, the main route between Vancouver and the Interior of B.C. (CBC) The Coquihalla Highway 5, the main route between Vancouver and the Interior, was partially reopened early Friday with one lane in each direction after a mudslide closed the route on Wednesday.
All the sections of Highway 1 were reopened by Friday morning after high avalanche risk and a mudslide closed four sections of the route on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the Interior, Highway 3 at the Kootenay Pass remained closed because of a high avalanche risk, along with Highway 31A near Kaslo. Meanwhile, Highways 23 and 31 remained closed while crews cleaned up avalanche debris.
On Vancouver Island, Highway 14 remained closed 35 km west of Sooke because of a mudslide and the Head Bay Road to Gold River remained closed because of another mudslide.
In the Fraser Valley, Highway 11 near Abbotsford remained closed because of flooding.
With files from the Canadian Press
