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Deadly avalanche in B.C. backcountry
VANCOUVER — One person is dead and three others are in hospital after getting caught in an avalanche Friday afternoon in the Elk Valley near Sparwood, in British Columbia’s Interior.
The three surviving patients are listed as stable at Sparwood Hospital according to the B.C. Ambulance Service.
It is unknown if there are any other survivors or what the group was doing when the avalanche hit and RCMP have now taken over the investigation. The incident came the same day as a “special public avalanche warning” for recreational backcountry users issued by the Canadian Avalanche Centre.
The warning includes the mountains of the South Coast Inland, the Columbia Mountains from near Prince George in the north to the U.S. border in the south, and B.C.’s South Rockies and is in effect all weekend, the centre said.
“We have a variety of issues within the snowpack right now that cause us two main concerns,” said Ilya Storm, the CAC’s public avalanche warning services coordinator, in a press release. “The first is that the size of avalanches is likely to be much bigger than might be expected, and could be triggered remotely, which means triggered at a distance or from the bottom of the slope. Our other main concern is that slopes generally considered safer — lower angle, below treeline — are primed for human triggering.”
Local knowledge and a high degree of training and experience are required to travel safely in avalanche terrain this weekend, said Storm.
“Knowing the slope history is key to good decisions right now. And make sure you park in safe spots — well to the side of any avalanche path or far away from the runout zone. Given the size of recent avalanches, the bottom of runout zones this weekend might be farther than you think.”
The centre is advising all recreational backcountry users to carefully monitor avalanche bulletins and be equipped with a shovel, probe and transceiver. The centre “strongly recommends” all backcountry users take an avalanche awareness course and check the avalanche bulletin regularly to keep informed of conditions in their area at www.avalanche.ca/ca. North Shore Rescue members were on alert Friday, as avalanche conditions remained high in out-of-bounds areas of local mountains.
Tim Jones of North Shore Rescue warned skiers and snowboarders who venture out of bounds when avalanche risks are high that they shouldn’t count on immediate rescue.
VANCOUVER — One person is dead and three others are in hospital after getting caught in an avalanche Friday afternoon in the Elk Valley near Sparwood, in British Columbia’s Interior.
The three surviving patients are listed as stable at Sparwood Hospital according to the B.C. Ambulance Service.
It is unknown if there are any other survivors or what the group was doing when the avalanche hit and RCMP have now taken over the investigation. The incident came the same day as a “special public avalanche warning” for recreational backcountry users issued by the Canadian Avalanche Centre.
The warning includes the mountains of the South Coast Inland, the Columbia Mountains from near Prince George in the north to the U.S. border in the south, and B.C.’s South Rockies and is in effect all weekend, the centre said.
“We have a variety of issues within the snowpack right now that cause us two main concerns,” said Ilya Storm, the CAC’s public avalanche warning services coordinator, in a press release. “The first is that the size of avalanches is likely to be much bigger than might be expected, and could be triggered remotely, which means triggered at a distance or from the bottom of the slope. Our other main concern is that slopes generally considered safer — lower angle, below treeline — are primed for human triggering.”
Local knowledge and a high degree of training and experience are required to travel safely in avalanche terrain this weekend, said Storm.
“Knowing the slope history is key to good decisions right now. And make sure you park in safe spots — well to the side of any avalanche path or far away from the runout zone. Given the size of recent avalanches, the bottom of runout zones this weekend might be farther than you think.”
The centre is advising all recreational backcountry users to carefully monitor avalanche bulletins and be equipped with a shovel, probe and transceiver. The centre “strongly recommends” all backcountry users take an avalanche awareness course and check the avalanche bulletin regularly to keep informed of conditions in their area at www.avalanche.ca/ca. North Shore Rescue members were on alert Friday, as avalanche conditions remained high in out-of-bounds areas of local mountains.
Tim Jones of North Shore Rescue warned skiers and snowboarders who venture out of bounds when avalanche risks are high that they shouldn’t count on immediate rescue.
