Kananaskis snowpack a concern, spokesperson cautions

Skiers and snowshoers need to be aware of avalanche risks as conditions can change quickly, an Avalanche Awareness Day spokesperson says.

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Jill Sawyer is with Alberta Parks.

She says recent weather conditions need to be front of mind as people hit the routes and trails of Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park.

"We have had a very stable snowpack this year, much more so than we have had in recent memory and so it has lulled people into thinking it is completely safe out there," Sawyer told CBC News Sunday.

"We have conditions out here in Kananaskis where that could change at any moment. If we get another big snow fall, if the weather changes dramatically then all bets are off."

Dozens made their way out to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park to brush up on avalanche safety.

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"The other thing we are noticing more and more we are getting a lot of people coming out here on snowshoes and they are getting into avalanche terrain and they may not know they are in avalanche terrain," Sawyer cautioned.

She says knowledge is power for people who like to venture outside for their winter fun.

"It is better to look at it in terms of where it is safe, because there are so few places here that don't have some avalanche terrain in them," she said.

Sawyer urges outdoors people to check conditions and warnings at avalanche.ca before venturing out.

"All of our routes, all of our trails are linked on there and it will give you a sense of what the general danger level is and it will also give you the daily bulletin," Sawyer said.