Climbers Discover Unexploded Avalanche Ordnance from WWII in Jasper National Park, Canada

A group of climbers from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides found ⁠an unexploded ordnance Thursday on the north side of Mount Athabasca in Jasper National Park, reports CBC.

• Related: CDOT Launched 1,500 Avalanche Ordinances this Winter – 22 Failed to Explode and May Be a Threat to Hikers

The climbers reported the discovery to Jasper RCMP around 2 pm, and a public notice to avoid the area was sent out, RCMP said in a news release Saturday. Officials praised the climbers for not interfering with the device in any way, although they did manage to snap a photo of it. RCMP warned people should never touch an object that resembles something that could detonate.

“We can’t say for sure what it was used for, but it is believed that it was used back in the day for avalanche control,” RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jon Cormier told CBC News Saturday. It dates back to the Second World War, according to the RCMP.

The next day, the explosive ordnance disposal team from the Wainwright Canadian Forces Base in Denwood, AB assisted members from Jasper Park Visitor Safety, who helped navigate the hazardous terrain on Mount Athabasca. The disposal team blew up the device in place, Jasper RCMP said in the news release.