Kimberley Search and Rescue is on edge after beautiful weather and unstable conditions have created a world of the unknown in the backcountry.

Peter Reid, president of KSAR, told the Bulletin that him and the rest of the KSAR team are just waiting for the call, thanks to the beautiful blue skies that blanketed the Kootenay region on Jan. 2. Even though the weather may be perfect, Reid worries that the recent dump of snow has caused instability in the snowpack and has buried potential hazards.

"You can imagine how nervous we are," Reid said.

Adding to the potential for a call is how busy the Kimberley Alpine Resort was on the New Year's Eve weekend.

"Saturday it was insane there," said Reid.

There was one small incident that saw KSAR head to the hill on New Year's Eve, when an overdue skier was reported. A skier went into Moe's Canyon and became too tired to ski out. Reid said the situation ended happily, and ski patrol helped walk the man out. KSAR was stood down as quickly as they were called in.

Because of the traffic at the ski hill, Reid said there are many people in town unfamiliar with the backcountry that could be heading out into those areas. Those users include snowmobilers, snowshoers and skiers of all types.

Reid said that when the perfect storm of conditions come together like they have, the KSAR team tends to get nervous about what could be.

"The hairs on the back of your neck start to stand up," he said.

To help keep safe in the backcountry, Reid encourages thrill seekers to be aware of unmarked, snow-buried hazards, especially when using the Moe's Canyon and Moe's Run area.

Prior to the Christmas holidays, the Canadian Avalanche Centre was warning that a big dump of snow could see human-triggered avalanches in the Kootenay Boundary region. As of Dec. 23, the avalanche rating was set at moderate. It has since jumped to considerate in all areas, from below treeline to alpine. The avalanche centre has set the possibility for avalanches in this region at very likely. Visit www.avalanche.ca for up-to-date bulletins.