Death underlines snow warning
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 the B. C Interior. The three survivors are listed in stable condition at Sparwood Hospital according to the B. C. Ambulance Service.
It was not known Friday night how many were in the group, 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 was 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.
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.