Skiers rescue friend who got buried in avalanche near Pemberton

Mar 6 2023, 8:58 pm

A backcountry skier was airlifted to hospital after getting buried in an avalanche north of Whistler this weekend.

Miraculously, the skier’s friends were able to locate them underneath the snow and call for help, according to Avalanche Canada.

The three friends were skiing around Cayoosh Mountain, near Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, on Saturday when an avalanche started just as they dropped into a gully.

The slide caught two of the friends and took them all the way to the bottom of Rock N’ Roll gulley. Luckily the first skier ended up on top of the snow debris, but the second was buried.

The third skier, who didn’t get caught in the avalanche, located their friend within about five minutes — and called for an airlift out.

“Thanks to Pemberton Search and Rescue and the other skier group that came to our aid today,” the group wrote in a post on Avalanche Canada’s website.

The second group of skiers, who also wrote about the experience on Avalanche Canada’s website, said the skier was buried about one metre deep in the snow and was extricated by their friends before being airlifted out.

The incident happened just after 3 pm.

In BC’s Interior Health region alone, there have already been 12 avalanche deaths this season — more than double last season with several months of skiing left to go.

“We know sunny weather can create a false sense of security and lure people out into avalanche terrain, even though unstable conditions exist. Even 30 minutes of sun can have a significant impact on the snowpack at this time of year,” Ryan Buhler, forecast program supervisor with Avalanche Canada, said in an Interior Health news release.

The avalanche-monitoring organization urges backcountry users to exercise caution and make conservative choices in avalanche terrain.

Avalanche danger is currently rated “considerable” on the North Shore Mountains, through the Sea to Sky Corridor, and in much of the Interior.

 

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