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Natural Hazards Avalanche Scoping Report Mount Sir Wilfred Laurier - BC, Canada Cris Romeo Kara Heal Graham Woodhurst Erica Massey Rob University of British Columbia Okanagan GEOG 316 Geography of -Natural Hazards Professor: Dr. Fes de Scally November 14, 2013 Slide 2 Mount Sir Wilfred Laurier Location - Premier Range of BC - West of Valemount - Highest peak is 3581m - 52 48 5 N, 119 43 53 W Topography - Mountainous terrain - Glacier Plateau - Subboreal Spruce Biogeoclimatic Zone Slide 3 Climate - Nov 21 st Apr 21 st Avg operating temp is -5 degrees. - January is coldest month at -19.5 degrees Benefits - Increased tourism to Valemount - Increase in yearly winter employment - Initial stimulation of local economy through construction of the lodge, access roads, etc Challenges - Impact of resort and associated infrastructure on natural environment - Possibility for recreational fatalities through backcountry activities Slide 4 Physical parameters of Avalanches Magnitude High magnitude/Low Frequency (inverse relationship) Pressure ( psi) Speed:airborne (110-180mph) ground (20-30 mph) Frequency > or < 30 yrs return interval 1/200-1/300: large buildings 1/30: small cabin or shed Annual probability (%) to calc Design event magnitude Annual (more frequent) = lower magnitude Low frequent extreme weather = high magnitude Infrequency contributes to higher destruction Slide 5 Physical Parameters 3. Duration time from onset to return to normal conditions very short (s to min) depends on the magnitude and physical parameters no time for emergency measures until following the event mitigation and preparation occurs beforehand 4. Areal extent area covered by an individual avalanche relatively small 1000 1,000,000 m 2 5. Speed of onset - time from onset to peak of highest energy extremely fast! Seconds massive movement of material at high speed in little time occur spontaneously during a storm (increase of load). Slide 6 Physical Parameters 6. Spatial dispersion Concentrated May be as important as speed of onset Dependent on magnitude & population of classified (5) avalanches Map of avalanche pathways & types. illustrate shape & length of hazard zones (red vs.white zones) include recurrence interval on the map, in order to build the structure to a reasonable return period, i.e. 1/200 year avalanche. 7. Temporal spacing Periodic and seasonal Winter & spring; glaciers trigger in summer Not rare or random events Better evaluated the more time passes Map: show patterns of temporal spacing for a population of a particular type of avalanche. Slide 7 Spatial Dispersion & Temporal Spacing Mapping required Parks Canada. Example Avalanche map for Waterson Lakes National Park Slide 8 Hazard Event Profile Pervasive Intensive Continuum Avalanche Hazard = INTENSIVE!! Slide 9 Appropriate Responses to Avalanche Hazard Range of theoretical adjustments Burton & Hewitt (1974). KEY POINT Hazard in backcountry and in resort. Modify the natural events system 1.) Remote Charges Handheld charges can be dropped from a helicopter to create human-induced avalanches. Can be triggered from a safe distance. 2.) Reforestation/No Deforestation (Regards to construction of resort lodge) Ensure surrounding area has not been deforested. covered areas. Why? Forested areas:modify radiation & temperature increase snowpack stability Photo: (stormchaser.ca) Slide 10 Range of Theoretical Adjustments Continued Burton & Hewitt (1974). Modify the human use system 1)Snow tires, chains, salt & sand (access road). 2)Avalanche mapping & related building location. Only.5 to.75 million $ damage/year in Canada. Why? Recurrence interval: 200-300 yr: inhabited buildings 30 yr: other small structures. CMH Heli-Ski Lodges. Slide 11 Relationship between Education & Human Use in the backcountry Govt of BC Avg. 10 deaths per year (over past 15 years). In past 100 years, trend of recreational deaths rising. Scholarly literature reveals a relationship between guide-client peer pressure and unnecessary risk taking in the back country. Image: (McClung & Schaerer, 1993) Slide 12 Risk taking and modifying the human/natural events systems Type I: Reluctance to claim something is true unless hard proof is at hand; Type II: Excessive conservatism resulting in a failure to act (such as removal of avalanche warnings) when it is necessary. Image: McClung, 2002 Slide 13 Emergency adjustments Emergency plans must include adequate response for backcountry operations, the resort, and transportation to & from. Warning systems Avalanche/weather forecasting (E.g. Atmospheric Environment Service). Slide 14 Emergency Adjustments First Responders Trained staff members, educated patrons (within reason). Off site professional search, rescue, and response teams In the event of a large avalanche that traps people in the lodge/covers access roads/snowmobile paths. Local groups are often coordinated by Emergency Management BC. Aid/relief Emergency medical supplies, food, water, gas stoves, etc. Evacuation Plan In the event were forced to abandon our resort (fire, building failure, etc.). Slide 15 Adjusting to the Loss Insurance For both personal injuries and property damage Compensation Fair compensation to guests, investors, and employees in the event of an avalanche. Rebuild/repair Any physical damage to resort property. Includes access roads, ski terrain (reforest) etc.. Social impact Repair our public image, improve emergency plans and education/training of staff. Slide 16 Adjusting to the Loss Bear the loss It is likely that some costs (especially public image issues and subsequent cancelled bookings) would not be covered. (Google images) Slide 17 Avalanche Mapping Allows better understanding of the terrain by creating susceptibility maps that help locate hazardous areas Slopes, Geomorphic and vegetation (volume) descriptions that are most vulnerable to avalanches Start zone, track zone, run-out zone Slide 18 Relief map of Mt Sir Wilfred Laurier (REFERENCE) Slide 19 Start Zone: portion of the avalanche path where snow is released Recommendation: -Human inducing the triggering mechanism at safe times (eg. Active mitigation measures in forms of explosives) GazEx: Remote controlled propane exploder (Google Images) Slide 20 Snow Pits: allow the shear quality of the layers within the snow pack to be tested (approx. 30 slopes) -Can determine different activities within the snow pack -Simple and effective -Compression test; Stuffblock test; Rutschblock test; Shovel Shear test Slide 21 Track Zone: path the avalanche takes Run out Zone: where snow and debris slows down and stops moving Recommendations -Not building heli-pads or lodges in these zones (eg. build far away from gullies or valleys; higher, flat stable ground) Note: not efficient to build cement structures (eg. snowsheds, reinforced walls etc), however snowfences could be used if needed. (www.alpineguru.com)www.alpineguru.com Slide 22 Within our pragmatic approach and by understanding the key parameters related to avalanches, and taking all precautions towards properly developing and maintaining our ski area, it will ensure safe and enjoyable backcountry skiing Photo: backcountryskiingcanada.com Slide 23 Thank you!