Avalanche Canada has issued a warning for backcountry users which will last through the weekend.

The warning says the snowpack below the treeline is more dangerous than alpine snow up top.

Warning service manager Karl Klassen says this is unusual, and says the warning may catch some people off guard.

“People are really tempted to go riding in the trees right now and they don’t have that sense of avalanche hazard in the trees. People tend to feel safer in the trees, and this layer is exactly where people tend to feel safer and where the riding conditions are really good right now.”

“It’s been a pretty interesting situation because the layer is lower in elevation than people normally think about when they’re thinking about avalanches. So most people when they think about avalanches, they worry about being high up in the mountain. It’s hidden from view.”

Klassen says there have been many close calls from backcountry users in the past several days from the lower layer of terrain.

“And I want to stress that this is not to say there’s no risk at all or no hazard at all above the treeline, but it’s a much more complicated and much more hidden problem below the treeline. The hazard is much more obvious in upper elevations.”

The warning includes the North and South Columbia ranges north and east of Kamloops, as well as the North Rockies, Cariboos, Glacier National Park, Purcells, South Rockies and the Lizard Range.

The avalanche warning will stay in place until the end of the day on Sunday.

A full map of the areas affected can be found here.