AVALANCHE AS IT HAPPENS ON KOOTENAY PASS - TMTV News

AVALANCHE CONTROL ON KOOTENAY PASS - AS IT HAPPENS - See an avalanche thundering down onto the highway from a helicopter

Many of our provincial highways pass through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. But they also pass through 60 avalanche zones -- with over 1,300 known avalanche paths.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure manages an Avalanche Safety and Protection Program to make sure motorists can travel safely through our mountain passes during the winter months.

Provincial avalanche technicians triggered this avalanche on the west side of Kootenay Pass, above Highway 3.

The avalanche was triggered using a Daisy Bell -- the first time Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure avalanche technicians have used this technology.

A Daisy Bell is a cylinder suspended from a helicopter that can be accurately positioned above a ridge or cornice. It uses a small, controlled pressure wave from the sudden combustion of hydrogen to trigger the slip.

It's accurate and efficient, firing as many as three bursts a minute -- each the equivalent of 7 kilograms of TNT.

There's only one Daisy Bell in Canada, operated by Kootenay Valley Helicopters in Creston.

On an international 1 to 5 scale, this is a Size 3 avalanche. It has enough mass and power to bury and destroy a car or destroy a wood-frame house.

To deal with the unstable snow packs mother nature creates, our technicians regularly monitor snow conditions. When the potential for an avalanche gets high, we'll close the highway, trigger the avalanche and clean up the debris.

Most road closures associated with avalanche control missions last from 2 to 4 hours.

November to April represents most common time when avalanches threaten B.C. highways.

So if you're travelling our mountain passes in winter, "know before you go" - check the Province's DriveBC website for any planned avalanche control missions.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• avalanche
• control
• kootenay
• pass
• highway
• maintenance
• hwy3
• Highway
• british
• columbia
• TMTV
• news
• BCTV
• crowsnest
• hwy
• Helicopter
• mountain
• daisy
• bell
• creston
• salmo
• nelson
• valley
• helicopters
• bury
• destroy
• car
• house

[bulafritz]

That guy's voice reminds me of all the boring movies I watched in high school

[halflife103]

@halflife103 actually is this from that orange hellicopter that flew low over salmo?

[halflife103]

never know when they do this.