Avalanche kills 1 in BC, 3 others survive

Dangerous conditions slow avalanche recovery
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/...very_100105/20100105/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome
Updated: Tue Jan. 05 2010 09:11:22

ctvbc.ca

Search and rescue teams near Rossland, B.C., resumed search efforts Tuesday morning in hopes of recovering the body of an Alberta man killed by an avalanche.

The 30-year-old Alberta resident was caught in a slide on Mt. Mackie, roughly 600 kilometres east of Vancouver, while snowmobile skiing with a group of friends Monday afternoon.


His three companions escaped unharmed.

Avalanche technicians were taken into the area at first light to test the stability of the snowpack, Cpl. Dave Johnson told ctvbc.ca.

"They will have to stabilize the snowpack before any recovery effort is made," he said, adding that potentially dangerous conditions prevented the man's body to be removed yesterday.

RCMP teams are leading the recovery effort in coordination with local search and rescue teams from nearby Rossland and Castlegar.

Hazards

An area snowcat ski operation, Big Red Cats, sent out guides after receiving a call around 3:30 p.m. Monday from a man who had just dug his friend out of an avalanche.

Officials found his body, but Rossland Search and Rescue members were unable to recover him because of additional slide hazards.

Mounties say the four men were all experienced back country enthusiasts, and well prepared with avalanche gear.

The name of the victim is being withheld pending next of kin notification.

Yesterday's slide comes on the heels of a deadly anniversary in the tiny B.C. community of Sparwood.

In December 2008, eight men were killed by a series of avalanches as they were snowmobiling.​

Alberta snowmobiler dies, three lucky to survive B.C. avalanche
http://www.vancouverite.com/2010/01/04/snowmobiler-feared-dead-in-b-c-avalanche/

TRAIL, B.C. – (Update) An Alberta man has died and three others are lucky to be alive after an avalanche swept down the side of a mountain while the group was snowmobiling. RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said the victim is a man in his 30s. He was buried in an avalanche that swept the back country area adjacent to Mount Mackie near Rossland, B.C.

“A group of four men all in their 30’s, from Alberta and BC, had entered the area via snowmobile for back country downhill skiing. When the four were making a skiing descent the avalanche struck, with the three others escaping the slide,” he said. Moskaluk said in an interview that the effort to recover the body will be made in the morning because of heavy snowfall in the area.

“You should see the snow we got today through the southwest and southeast (of the Trail area) and over there they got a foot-and-half of snow today,” he said.

He said the three who survived were ahead of the other man when the avalanche struck. “Technicians deemed the area unsafe for rescuers to enter,” he said.

“We can confirm that a non commercial venture skier group of four males entered an area at Mount Mackie via snowmobile this afternoon (Monday) and at around 3:30 pm, the group was caught in an avalanche with one skier being buried,” he said.

“The three remaining skiers were able to get out of the area and sought refuge at a base cabin where they were eventually assisted by a local Cat Skiing Outfitter who were in the immediate area,” Moskaluk said. “One of the Snow Cat operators returned to the site and located the skier who was deceased, but was forced to leave immediately due to the dangerous conditions and was unable to remove the deceased,” he said.

“The Trail RCMP assisted by the Rossland SAR will be maintaining a road closure to the area in order to restrict further access by the public due to the extreme risk snow conditions,” he said about the high level danger of avalanches in the area.

Search crews from the Rossland, Castlegar, South Columbia and Nelson teams will re-assess the recovery effort tomorrow morning with the possibility of avalanche technicians being brought in to conduct avalanche stabilization work, he said.

“It is our understanding that these were back country enthusiast who were properly equipped with back country and avalanche gear. This is the first avalanche related death this year (2010) in British Columbia”, confirmed Moskaluk.[/quote]​