Avalanche
A lone snowboarder was killed Tuesday, February 24, in an avalanche while backcountry riding near Anniversary Glacier, Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy, approximately 16 miles (26 kilometers) east of Pemberton, in British Columbia’s Sea-to-Sky region, marking the province’s fourth avalanche fatality of the season and the third in the past week. Sources close to SnowBrains have confirmed that the victim was professional splitboarder Stratton Matteson, 28, from Bend, Oregon.
“On the morning of February 24th, a lone snowboarder triggered a very large wind slab avalanche that initiated at ridgetop near the Anniversary Glacier. A companion rescue was initiated by a witness and the subject was located later in the afternoon by Pemberton Search and Rescue. Unfortunately, they did not survive.”
– Avalanche Canada preliminary statement
Commenters on his latest Instagram post, from four days ago, are responding with disbelief as the tragic news spreads. @biranausland says, “This has me almost sobbing right now – but I want to move through it and get back to Joy out of respect for this kid’s journey, for his spirit, for his heart, and for his loved ones. Pack on, brother,” and @archeraddict writes, “Still can’t believe the news…”
Pemberton RCMP said they were notified of a missing skier at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday in the backcountry east of Pemberton, in terrain near Mount Matier and the Anniversary Glacier by Joffre Peak. RCMP Insp. Robert Dykstra said an avalanche occurred in the area where the skier was believed to be travelling, prompting a search-and-rescue response. Pemberton Search and Rescue later located the skier dead, and recovery efforts were ongoing as of Tuesday evening, reports CBC.
The avalanche was a large, human-triggered wind slab that released on a northeast-facing alpine slope at about 7,900 feet (2,400 meters), with a crown averaging 60 inches (150 centimeters) deep and up to 80 inches (200 centimeters) at its thickest. Classified as roughly size 3.5, the slab fractured across an estimated 330 feet (100 meters) and ran approximately 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) downslope, consistent with a powerful, destructive slide capable of burying or destroying a vehicle and small structures.
The death near Joffre Peak follows a heliskier who died after being buried in an avalanche east of Revelstoke last Thursday and a snowmobiler who was killed in an avalanche near Fernie two days before that. Another snowmobiler died in December in an avalanche near Tumbler Ridge in northeastern B.C., bringing the provincial toll this season to four.
The Joffre incident comes as officials warn of elevated avalanche danger across southwest B.C. following a weekend storm. Avalanche Canada listed the hazard as considerable for the Sea-to-Sky region on Tuesday, warning “New snow and wind loading have formed reactive storm slabs. Make conservative choices and be very wary of exposure to overhead hazards, especially while the sun is out.”
This marks Canada’s fourth avalanche death this winter, and there have been 18 avalanche-related fatalities in the US.
