One man dies in avalanche in Kokanee Glacier backcountry
By Nelson Daily Editor
By Timothy Schafer, The Nelson Daily
One man is dead in the West Kootenay backcountry after an avalanche in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park on Sunday afternoon, RCMP report.
Heading into the weekend the Canadian Avalanche Centre had warned the risk of avalanches above and at the tree line in the West Kootenay backcountry was high due to a thick 60-centimetre layer of storm snow deposited on weak under layers.
However, it was not clear what triggered the avalanche that killed one Alberta man — out of a group of 14 other skiers from BC and Alberta — said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk.
Although the buried man was rescued by other members of his skiing group after he was buried several minutes under the snow, they were not able to revive him.
The man died as a result of his injuries, said Cpl. Moskaluk.
He also said heavy snow and poor visibility prevented a helicopter from recovering the man’s body on Sunday, and that they would try again Monday.
The group was skiing out of the Kokanee Glacier Cabin.
One injured in avalanche Saturday in Fernie
One person was injured and six others were caught in the slide when an avalanche at the Fernie Alpine Resort hit Saturday — but RCMP said no one was buried by the snow.
The avalanche hit an area known as Currie Bowl.
The skier had a leg injury and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Two die in avalanche in southwestern Alberta
Two brothers died after an avalanche occurred in the Burstall Pass area of Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, in Kananaskis Country on Saturday.
Both men were swept away by the snow slide.
One man was found Saturday, an RCMP press release said, but rescuers were unable to recover the body before dark. Both bodies were found Sunday.
According to a police report, the men were not wearing locator beacons.
The avalanche risk for the backcountry in that area was also rated as “high” heading into the weekend.
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