This article on safely driving the powder highway was written with the gracious help of Insp. Chad Badry, the Officer-In-Command for Kootenay Highway Patrol at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as part of collaboration for the Road Safety at Work Alliance. Badry has spent the last two decades of his career ensuring safe driving around many of Canada’s renowned ski spots, including Fernie, Nelson, Cranbrook, Golden, and more. He’s the sole RCMP member of the AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators), a North American committee developing model programs in motor vehicle administration, law enforcement, and highway safety. When he’s not on the job, he’s an avid skier like the rest of us, totalling 64 ski days as his biggest season on the slopes, and a low number of ski days at 42.

Driving the Powder Highway

If you’re taking on Canada’s favourite ski trip this winter, the driving conditions have probably come to mind. These highways are remote, snowy, mostly without cell service, and present potential hazards for visitors. However, by adhering to safe winter driving practices, having the right vehicle, and more, you’ll be able to safely make your way up to the slopes for the snowiest days of the season.

Insp Chad Badry — officer in command for the Kootenay Highway Patrol — centres his winter driving advice around one crucial statement: “drive to what the conditions might be”. Highways in BC’s Kootenay mountain range during winter see it all: heavy snowfall, black ice, slush, freeze-thaw, and even summer-like conditions from time to time.

Our conversation with Badry began around reinforcing the basic principles of safe winter driving. Many of these principles are additionally covered in our Driving Highway 1 in Winter  blog. Slowing down, driving to what the conditions might be, and using 4×4 vehicles with three peak snow tires is imperative.

Badry really emphasized slowing down when driving in winter. He mentioned “we have an offense in British Columbia (…) where you could actually be given a speeding ticket when driving 20-40 kilometres below the speed limit. It’s because you’re driving too fast for the posted conditions”. Speed limits in the Kootenays are posted for ideal, dry, daytime summer driving conditions. In winter, you have to drive to the conditions.

We then dug into some of the finer details of driving through the Kootenays. Here’s what to expect on your way to the Powder Highway’s legendary ski spots.

Cell Service

Unlike Rogers Pass or the Banff area, you will be out of cell service driving through the Kootenay mountains. “You’re going to go through stretches of highway where you’re out of cell service for an hour or two,” commented Badry. He mentioned multiple instances where avalanches and flat tires have stranded drivers for up to half a day at a time, as it takes some time to get ahold of emergency services. Badry reassured that “BC Highway Patrol is everywhere”, and local RCMP and road maintenance contractors will also be on the lookout for drivers in adverse situations. Download your music and maps before you hit the road in this region!

Reacting to Vehicle Collisions

One of the greatest risks to driver safety is how you react to a vehicle collision. After a crash, many other drivers feel inclined to help a driver who’s been involved, but exiting your vehicle is very dangerous. “In winter, there’s probably a reason somebody’s crashed” Badry said, and it’s most commonly due to adverse conditions. Badry continued to say that every year, tragic deaths occur when people exit their vehicle to help in an incident, and then get hit by another car that loses control in the same adverse driving conditions.

Climate Zones

The Kootenays have significant elevation change, which can lead varying weather conditions on your way up to the slopes. From the shores of Kootenay Lake up to the summits of Whitewater, you can often go from summer driving conditions, to a wintery mix, to a dry-powder blizzard that the range is famous for.

As you travel through these climate zones on the way to a big powder day, it’s one of the most important times to be cognizant of drivers around you. Badry commented that on the way to ski slopes that “you’re often encountering steeper [driving] conditions, and a bit more inclement roads. If you’re not familiar with driving in that condition it can be really frustrating to everybody around you that knows (…) you need to keep your speed up a little bit (emphasis on little) to make it up a particularly slippery slope”.

If you’re new to BC, and aren’t comfortable keeping up with the safe, main flow of traffic, that’s okay. Badry said “we want everyone to drive to their comfort level”. But that often involves using one of the many roadside pullouts to allow other cars to pass safely.

Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS)

Insp Badry was a contributor to AAMVA’s 4th edition of recommendations for driving automation system technology. Automated features often struggle in winter conditions in the Kootenays. “The [ADAS] reactions built into vehicles are not accustomed to snowy roads and temperature variants”, says Badry. “When you’re on a long straight flat section [of highway] and it’s been plowed nicely or it’s bare dry, by all means use some of the ADAS features, but the rest of the time the drivers need to be in control”.

Conclusion

With the right preparation, safely driving the Powder Highway makes for a once-in-a-lifetime ski trip. While Insp Badry and resorts like RED Mountain repeat the long standing jokes that “the skiing [in the Kootenays] sucks” — an effort to keep the mountains quieter — the locals are welcoming of the tourists that stray off the Banff Highway and explore BC’s more remote ski spots.

That being said, never forget to drive to “what the road conditions might be”. Insp Badry and the FarOut team ended the call exchanging one-off stories of our vehicles slipping on black ice, while driving with ideal set ups. No matter your experience level or comfort driving in snowy conditions, always take driving in these mountains seriously.