Avalanches

The fam and I are headed out to Whistler, B.C. for a week of skiing starting January 1st. I'm psyched, of course. But apparently over the last couple of weeks a lot of people have been killed in avalanches out west. The most disturbing item, from the LA Times:

"...the death toll in the backcountry was not unusual. It is the casualties at ski resorts, generally considered safe winter destinations, that illustrate how lethal the mountains have been this month."

Great. Luckily no one's been killed at Whistler so far this year. But my dad, brother and I will definitely be avoiding the backcountry and sticking to well-marked trails on the mountain.