Public Avalanche Bulletins
Looking for one of the most important pieces of the avalanche safety puzzle?! You have come to the right place!
The PAB (Public Avalanche Bulletins) are specialized reports created for high use avalanche areas of Canada.
There are 5 simple ways to access this information.
1) Dial 1-800-667-1105 and follow the prompts.
2) Register your email address to receive FREE Bulletins. CLICK HERE
3) Download a new App to your iPhone CLICK HERE
4) Visit the Sledder’s page on the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s website. CLICK HERE
5) Visit www.avalanche.ca and follow the prompts for “BULLETINS!” CLICK HERE
The PAB is like a road report for the mountains.
EVERYONE should access this information before going riding!
Please open a current bulletin for any CAC Forecast area by clicking on a region on the map or by selecting from the list on the left side of the page.
Not sure about the boundaries of the bulletin regions. CLICK HERE to follow this link to view the PAB map overlayed onto a Google Map. Zoom in and view towns and road systems to get a better orientation!
For a quick tutorial on Bulletin use we encourage you to refer to the bulletin below. This is a screen shot of the North Columbia Avalanche Forecast from Dec 18/09.
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Note the NEW AND ENHANCED features. These excellent features were added during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
- Sub-regions in the Hazard Rating Chart – some of the forecast regions have sub-regions to improve the quality of data by reducing the size of the forecast regions. Weather patterns have been the primary influence in these new dividing lines. For the North Columbia PAB region the sub-regions are the Cariboos (west side of Hwy 5) vs. Monashees and Selkirks (east side of Hwy 5).
- Color Map of the new Sub-Regions – in the top right of the forecast report.
- Confidence – the level of confidence is primarily related to the forecaster’s confidence in the weather forecast. (If the actual weather varies much from the forecasted weather, then the PAB may have mis-judged the avalanche hazard.) Confidence may also be low if there are little information being submitted to the forecasters (early or late season…)
- Primary Concerns Icons – a visual summary of the problem layers. Avalanche type, sides of the mountains affected, elevation band of concern and time of day for the primary concern.
- The colored areas of the Compass Icon are the areas of concern. In this bulletin, for example, the areas of concern for the windslab are on the North through East aspects. The areas of concern for the Storm snow are on all aspects.
- Avalanche Activity tells you what IS happening
- Snowpack Data tells you what COULD happen
- Weather Data tells you what SHOULD happen
- Glossary Links – click on highlighted technical terms for detailed descriptions and images. Very useful as a FREE training tool.
- Next Scheduled Update – this date ensures that no one accidentally uses stale bulletin information. Conditions can change quickly SO IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ACCESS THE DATA FOR THE CORRECT REGION ON THE CORRECT DATE.
- Recently Reported Avalanche Incidents – these reports are specific to the Bulletin area selected.
Photos are often included in many of the reports. This one shows the full path of the Size 3 slab avalanche (large enough to bury or destroy a truck or small building.)
We highly recommend that you take advantage of this Free service to keep in touch with the ever-changing conditions. Not only will this FREE service prepare you for your backcountry trips, but you will also grow your avalanche experience and vocabulary by noting the significant events and trends in the weather and avalanche cycles. Learn to identify the significant weather patterns and start to develop your own snow interpretation ability. As you read about the weather today, try to guess how it will affect the snow stability tomorrow. Pick up travel hints and terrain identification skills by following the forecaster’s travel advisories
Remember to download the new iPhone application!
CLICK HERE to be redirected.
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Avalanche Bulletins, public and professional level avalanche training programs, the free on-line avalanche class, Trip Talk and weather links.
