Avalanche
Three snowbikers were caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche in the Chic-Choc Mountains of Quebec, on Tuesday, March 26. They were riding in a group of four in the Chic-Choc Mountains in the province’s Gaspé Penninsula. Around 2 p.m. one of the riders decided to film the group and stopped away from the group. One of the group members was above the other two and was riding down a ravine, triggering an avalanche. The snowbiker filming immediately went to their rescue but could not find them. He could only find a helmet. Distressed, he turned to other people in the area, asking for help, shouting “I can’t find my friends!”
The Quebec provincial police received a distress call around 5 p.m. from the fourth snowbiker, reporting that his three friends had been buried in the La Martre sector near Mont Médaille and were missing. The group of four was using snowbikes, which are essentially modified dirt bikes equipped with a ski for the front wheel and a caterpillar tread at the rear. The Sûreté du Québec dispatched their avalanche team as well as local firefighters from nearby Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, and ambulance crews to the area. The missing snow bikers were located around 11 p.m., but unfortunately could only be pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The coroner’s office identified the deceased as three young fathers in their 30s from Quebec: Joël Crête, Nicolas Vanasse, and Bryan Forgues Morissette. Guy Bernatchez, a representative of the Haute-Gaspésie regional county municipality, said the incident has shaken the local community, where outdoor winter sports are a popular pastime. Many local volunteers joined police and firefighters to search for the three men, who were all fathers with young children, according to Bernatchez.
An investigation is underway to determine the exact causes and circumstances of their deaths, he added. The area where the incident happened is on public land and is popular with backcountry skiers and snowmobilers.
