Prince George, B.C.- With the  snow officially here, the  focus is now on  safety in the back country.

 Reps from the Canadian Avalanche Centre, the BC Coroner’s Service, Environment Canada and Parks Canada  met with members of the media today to talk about being prepared for avalanches.

“The  cold weather is here, and more people will be heading to the backcountry” says Coroner Lisa LaPointe.  “While most people enjoy snowmobiling,  snowboarding  and skiing without  incident,  each year, across B.C.   coroners are summoned to scenes  of tragedy where lives have been lost  when a normal day  enjoying the  outdoors went shockingly wrong.”

Stats show that  half of all deaths in the backcountry  over the past 6 years,  involve snowmobilers , and most will be the result of  avalanches.  34% of the deaths reviewed,  showed head injuries  as the cause of death.  Stats also show that over the  past 5 years, between 15 and 23 people  have died of hypothermia.

The message today  from all  agencies, was about being prepared.”In the last 4 years we have seen a steady decline in the number of avalanche fatalities” says avalanche expert Peter Marshall of the Canadian Avalanche Centre.  He attributes that decline to the increasing number of  people  who are taking avalanche awareness and preparedness  courses. “Last year, it was about 7,000 people  who enrolled in a two day organized avalanche course,  we expect to see that number rise again this year.”

Marshall says the standard message  for anyone heading to the back country in the winter is to get the proper training.  Marshall says  a recognized two day  avalanche course will teach  enthusiasts about how to recognize  an avalanche threat,  how to cross  dangerous terrain safely, how to perform a rescue, the proper equipment to carry  ( an avalanche transceiver,  probe and a shovel)  check the avalanche  forecast which is issued daily.  There is an "ap" for  android and  iPhones, available that will give you that daily  information.

Environment Canada’s David Jones says  anyone heading out should check  with Environment Canada by calling an Environment Canada Meteorologist.  “That way  you will know  if the weather system is stable.”  He says in the mountains, the weather can  change from normal  to nasty in a matter of moments,  and the bottom line is  you “need to know before you go.” He says the best idea is to call Environment Canada about 24 hours before heading out to ensure you don’t run into any weather surprises.