Avalanche experts are warning people to stay out of the mountains this weekend unless they are experts at reading snow conditions.

“The message is for people who want to get out and experience the back country is that they need to be extremely experienced,” John Kelly, operations manager at the Canadian Avalanche Centre, said from his Revelstoke headquarters Thursday.

Although avalanche season is generally over by the second week of April, unseasonal cold weather has prevented the danger from dissipating. The usual cycle of warming and cooling that welds snow layers together hasn’t happened, and this weekend’s expected warm weather could make the situation even worse.

Uh huh. Al Gore could not be reached for comment. No polar bears were harmed in the reporting of this news.

There have been 16 avalanche deaths in Canada this season, up slightly from the average of 14. Eleven of this year’s fatalities were in B.C.

To paraphrase Kathy: There’s never a Trudeau around when you need one.

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