Item: SUMMARIZING TEN WINTERS OF REMOTE AVALANCHE CONTROL SYSTEM (RACS) USE ALONG THE TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY AT THREE VALLEY GAP, REVELSTOKE, CANADA
-
-
Title: SUMMARIZING TEN WINTERS OF REMOTE AVALANCHE CONTROL SYSTEM (RACS) USE ALONG THE TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY AT THREE VALLEY GAP, REVELSTOKE, CANADA
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Chad Hemphill [ Ministry of Transportation and Transit, Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada ]
- Alan Jones [ Dynamic Avalanche Consulting Ltd., Revelstoke, BC, Canada ]
- Chris Argue [ Dynamic Avalanche Consulting Ltd., Revelstoke, BC, Canada ]
- Lisa Dreier [ Wyssen Avalanche Control, Revelstoke, BC, Canada ]
- Andi Buechi [ Geobrugg, BC, Canada ]
- Walter Steinkogler [ Wyssen Avalanche Control, Revelstoke, BC, Canada ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Three Valley Gap, located 20 km west of Revelstoke, British Columbia, holds the highest Avalanche Hazard Index (AHI) in the province and ranks among the highest-priority avalanche zones along the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH). With traffic volume growth compounding at 1-2% annually, avalanche risk within this corridor has continued to increase. In 2016, eleven Remote Avalanche Control Systems (RACS) were installed at Three Valley Gap, reducing risk to the travelling public, improving worker safety, and shortening closure durations. This paper summarizes the key operational learnings from the decade since implementation, covering operational improvements and technical advances observed over ten winters of use. Operational benefits were evident from the first winter of operation. Average control mission time decreased from up to 60 minutes to approximately 23 minutes, and average closure duration fell from 3.9 hours (2007/08–2015/16) to 2.4 hours (2016/17–2025/26); average annual closure hours dropped from 45.1 to 25.3, a reduction of 44%. Active, high snowfall winters require careful explosive charge management late in the season, with operational decisions needed on whether to reload the system or reserve charges for night-time control while relying on helicopter support during the day. Winters with high freezing levels (e.g., 2024 and 2025) can result in surplus charges requiring detonation at season's end. The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Transit Revelstoke team manages avalanche hazard across a road network extending well beyond the TCH corridor, and RACS-driven efficiency gains – including prioritized treatment of high-risk paths, a shift toward night-time and early-morning control windows, and reduced pre-mission preparation time – free up resources for this broader avalanche management mandate. This additional capacity is particularly valuable given that traffic queueing in the city of Revelstoke and along the highway during closures also draws on team resources. Close coordination with the Parks Canada Glacier National Park (Rogers Pass) avalanche control team further minimizes corridor-wide traffic impacts.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P2.51.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790099034
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Alan Jones
Keywords: TransCanada Highway 1, RACS, traffic volume
Page Number(s): 2015 - 2021
-