With all the avalanches occurring during this time of the year, it is important to take precautions when travelling into the backcountry.

“There is a basic skill set that everyone should have going into the backcountry,” says Dave Stimson, Castle Mountain ski patroller.
There are three tools everyone should carry: A shovel, beacon and a probe. The beacon is able to transmit a signal.
If a skier carrying a beacon is trapped underneath a pile of snow, the beacon transmits a signal that is received by the other skiers’ beacons. The probe is then used to find the person and the shovel is used for digging. 
“All three items need to be used together; alone they’re pointless,” says Stimson. The speed of recovery is much faster when all the partners are digging.
According to reports by the Canadian Avalanche Centre, there have been three fatalities caused by avalanches so far in 2011. In 2010, there were 12 people in Canada who were killed by avalanches.
As a safety precaution, experts set off avalanches. This reduces day-to-day alerts by removing extra snow weight and preventing the wind from overcoming the strength of the underneath layers.
“That’s the safety part of our job. We do that to prevent skier-started avalanches,” says Stimson.
Castle Mountain offers different courses and training on avalanche safety.