Glacier NP Installs World’s Largest Avalanche Detection System
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Rogers Pass. Wikimedia Photo.
Parks Canada just announced their plan to install the world’s largest avalanche detection system along the section of the Trans-Canada highway that runs through Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park. According to CBC News, this section of the highway has 134 avalanche paths, making it extremely dangerous.
To install the new system, sensors that can detect avalanches in real-time using radar and infrasound technology will be placed along the highway. The sensors will provide information on snow stability and volume, wind direction, and temperature behavior. This new $3 million network is just one piece of a larger federally funded $18 million plan for avalanche mitigation. Measures already installed as part of this larger plan include new Remote Avalanche Control Systems and 7,218 feet of netting to hold the snowpack in place on steep slopes.
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The new avalanche detection system aims to provide early warning of increased avalanche activity, and in turn, make the park safer for visitors, decrease road closures, and provide extensive information to those looking to travel in the backcountry. The state of the art network is expected to be ready for testing this winter.
