Cougar Corner Avalanche Fence Design and Installation
Parks Canada
Near Revelstoke, BC, Canada
Project Requirements
- Design approximately 2000 m avalanche fence (snowpack supporting structure) system for three avalanche paths near Revelstoke, BC.
- Providing layout and inspection of installation (QC) for drilling and installation.
- Largest installation of avalanche fences in the western hemisphere.
Project Description
Cougar Corner 6, 7, and 8 avalanche paths affect the Trans-Canada highway approximately 10 km west of Rogers Pass. In 2016, Parks Canada tendered a project to design and install approximately 2000 m of snow nets (avalanche fences) in three separate avalanche paths to mitigate the risk of avalanches impacting the highway.
Alpine Solutions completed desktop design and field layout that included accessing steep and convoluted terrain using a combination of helicopter and mountaineering access (roped systems). The project was completed in 2017, and has already been tested during a deep snow (above average) winter (2017/2018). The project was then highlighted in a Geohazards paper citing a new avalanche mitigation era in Canada.
Avalanche Fence
Worksite Acccess
Challenges
- Design for avalanche fence system in very steep convoluted terrain.
- Completing onsite layout involving a combination of helicopter and mountaineering access including roped and Via Ferrata systems.
- Completing the design for the largest system in the western hemisphere (15 times larger than any system previously installed in Canada) in a timely fashion.
Solutions
- Innovative use of a debris flow net system for 3 rows, designed in close collaboration with manufacturer.
- Advanced GIS terrain modelling using LiDAR data verified by field surveys.
- Clear communications with Parks and stakeholders.
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