Avalanche & Snow Safety

Selkirk Mountain Experience is committed to giving our guests an enjoyable skiing experience while maintaining a safety program that is continuously updated and reviewed to ensure that it keeps up with and exceeds industry standards wherever possible. Although Selkirk Mountain Experience has a professional and comprehensive Avalanche & Snow Safety Program, we know that reaching absolute safety in the mountains is impossible. There is a "Grey Zone", that we can only minimize but not eliminate. This "Grey Zone" is the unavoidable risk that everyone takes when seeking adventure in the mountains. Below we have a detailed outline of our Avalanche & Snow Safety Program. Please call our office to arrange to talk to our head-guide if you have any questions or would like any further information.

In order to minimize the risk associated with the "Grey Zone" all of our lead-guides are professionals and carry certifications from the International Guide Association (I.F.M.G.A.) and / or the Canadian Guide Association (A.C.M.G.). Furthermore, all lead guides are certified professional avalanche specialists and are professional members of the Canadian Avalanche Association (C.A.A.). All lead-guides have been working for Selkirk Mountain Experience for many years and are highly knowledgeable about the terrain, change of glaciers, and the snow-pack at Durrand Glacier.

Professional Snow & Avalanche Observation at Durrand Glacier

The Durrand Glacier snow observation and weather station includes fully electronic weather reading instruments. It is a professional snow study plot that monitors the various layers and the shear value of the different layers in the snow-pack.

We measure twice a day the overall snow-pack at the study plot and at various locations throughout the Durrand Glacier area. Additionally, we monitor at the study plot the 12 hour snow-fall, 24 hour snow-fall and the entire snow-fall of each storm cycle. This includes the collection of weather information twice a day.

During the ski-tours each guide takes test profiles and stability tests in various slopes. The number of tests depends on the overall stability level of the snow-pack. It can be as many as three a day or only one.

In the Guide's office we have direct telephone and internet communication via satellite link to all surrounding helicopter-ski operators, the Canadian Avalanche office "C.A.A." in Revelstoke and the avalanche forecasting office at Roger's Pass. Furthermore, Selkirk Mountain Experience is an active member of the professional snow-study and avalanche information exchange program "INFO-Ex", which is maintained by the Canadian Avalanche office, the "C.A.A.", in Revelstoke.

At Durrand Glacier we hold guide meetings twice a day: in the morning prior to the ski tours and in the evening after the ski-tours. During these meetings we discuss, in depth, the planned tours and all observations we made while ski-touring or at the study plot. During the morning meeting we review our observations of the previous day, record the early morning snow and weather observations, monitor all snow and avalanche information of other companies and the avalanche bulletin of the Canadian Avalanche office and Roger's Pass, as well as the weather forecast. Finally we pull up photos of each slope we plan to ski and discuss every possible situation we might encounter based on the gathered information. The outcome of the meeting will determine if we can ski all the planned slopes or not.

During the evening report all guides discuss all observations they made during the day. Collected information will be sent to the Canadian Avalanche office.

Safety Gear

SME will supply all guests, free of charge, with avalanche safety beacons, avalanche shovels, avalanche probes, emergency radio (two per group) and avalanche safety packs, the ABS Pack. The ABS Pack is a mechanical avalanche safety devise with a hand-trigger that, in case of an avalanche, can be pulled. Within 3 seconds two large air-bags inflate, thus greatly increasing the chance of staying on the surface of an avalanche. SME is the only ski touring company in North America, and one of only two commercial ski companies in Canada, that offers its guests the use of an ABS pack.