Avalanche
A snowmobiler riding in the Forster Creek area in southeast British Columbia, Canada, was caught in an avalanche and killed on Sunday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed. According to an Avalanche Canada incident report, when the slide came down, the victim was one of three snowmobilers riding in the Forster Creek area below Thunderwater Lake, about 56 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Banff. Avalanche Canada classified the slide as a size 2.5 on a five-point scale, which is big enough to bury, injure, or kill a person.
“A group of three snowmobilers were riding in an area below Thunderwater Lake in the Forster Creek drainage. One rider triggered an avalanche on a steep, rocky, northeast facing, wind-affected slope and was fully buried. A companion rescue was carried out with assistance from other riders in the area, but unfortunately the subject did not survive.”
– Avalanche Canada preliminary report
Corporal James Grandy said in a statement that Columbia Valley RCMP received an SOS activation from a satellite communicator on Sunday, indicating that there had been an avalanche and one person was buried. “One rider triggered an avalanche on a steep, rocky, northeast facing, wind-affected slope and was fully buried,” the report says. “A companion rescue was carried out with assistance from other riders in the area.”
The Columbia Valley Search and Rescue was immediately deployed to the Forster snowmobile riding area, where human activity triggered the avalanche. The victim was taken by helicopter to the Invermere and District Hospital, where sadly, despite all the life-saving measures, they were pronounced deceased. “The RCMP would like to thank Search and Rescue, RK Heliski, EHS, and all those who helped out on the scene. Our thoughts are with the family and friends affected by this tragic event,” Sergeant Witzke said.
The avalanche was approximately 130 feet (40 meters) wide with a crown depth of 20-24 inches (50-60 centimetres) and a run length of almost 1,000 feet (300 m.) The avalanche is believed to have released on a layer of facets buried at the end of January. According to OpenSnow, the area saw 11″ of fresh snow in the previous 48 hours, including eight inches on the Sunday.
The Columbia Valley Search and Rescue team (CVSAR) and its equipment are based in Windermere, co-located with the Emergency Operations Center adjacent to the Windermere Fire Hall. SAR members respond to emergencies from all over the Columbia Valley, as far away as the Brisco area in the north, Panorama, and south beyond Canal Flats. CVSAR is responsible for a significant portion of southeastern British Columbia, where the avalanche occurred.
Due to rain, winds, and warm temperatures, there was a high avalanche risk in parts of British Columbia at the time of the accident. Avalanche Canada raised the danger level to high—the fourth highest risk category on a scale of five—for much of the mountainous terrain to the north and east of Metro Vancouver. Avalanche Canada’s warning stated that natural avalanches are “likely” while human-triggered slides are “very likely,” as the new snow from recent storms is “showing poor bonding to underlying weak layers.”
“Danger will be HIGH in areas that recieve more than 20 cm of new snow. In times of uncertainty, conservative terrain choices are our best defense.”
– Avalanche Canada forecast for the region on Sunday
For more information, visit Avalanche Canada’s website.
There have been 16 avalanche-related fatalities in North America this winter, 14 in the US and two in Canada.
