DriveBC issued a Sunday afternoon warning to those planning a trip over the Kootenay Pass.
Road patrols were reporting that salt used in the recent snowfall was attracting numerous Big Horn Sheep from the surrounding hillsides to the right-of-way on Highway 3.
For road conditions visit drive.bc.ca.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) is advising drivers about “7 Things You Need to Know Before Driving … High Mountain Passes.”
It’s not uncommon for a beautiful day to turn into a raging snow storm in a matter of minutes.
The ministry says, “If you plan ahead, that risk of dramatic weather change won’t put too much of a wrinkle in your plans.”
Here’s the seven things MOTI advises drivers to do before they head up the hill:
- Make sure your car has proper tires. For severe winter conditions on passes like those on Highway 3 from the Paulson to Kootenay Pass, winter tires with the mountain snowflake logo provide the best performance. At the very least M+S tires with a tread depth of at least 3.5 millimeter must be used.
- Make sure both your headlights and tail lights are working
- Make sure your car has a full tank of gas. There is nothing worse than being stuck in a snowstorm because of an accident ahead and watching your last gas fumes drift away, leaving you chilling on a cold and dark mountainside.
- Dress the part. Pack warm clothes, boots, gloves and blankets. Keep them in your trunk. Always.
- Bring food and water. Seems like a simple thing, but those basic things will keep you going if the weather turns sour and you are stuck in your car.
- Check DriveBC. DriveBC has road conditions, events and web cams of those mountain passes, so that you can see what is happening before you go. Current weather from ministry Road Weather Stations and Weather Forecasts from Environment Canada (including High Elevation Travellers’ forecasts for some of the prominent mountain passes) are also available on DriveBC.
- Carry a cell phone.