Over the weekend, a snowmobiler buried in an avalanche died near Valemount, according to Avalanche Canada.
In a post on its website, Avalanche Canada explains a remote-triggered avalanche set off near an area two snowmobilers were riding Saturday.
“Two snowmobilers were riding at the base of a slope in a feature known as Bowl 3 in the Oasis snowmobile area south of Valemount,” the statement reads. “The avalanche was remote-triggered close to the edge of the bowl at a point where the riders were approximately 20 m from the toe of the slope.”
The person that escaped in time was the same person to find the other snowmobiler who was fully buried and found unresponsive.
“The avalanche ran on a layer of facets near the base of the snowpack. The crown depth was reported to be between 80 and 120 cm,” Avalanche Canada added.
…it seems to be particularly volatile in this area at the moment.
Stay well back from steep slopes and avoid any terrain where the consequences of an avalanche may be severe. Choose conservative terrain, especially if you’re choosing to venture out of well-ridden areas.
— Avalanche Canada (@avalancheca) January 22, 2023
The organization is urging people to keep their distance from steep slopes and choose conservative terrain if they’re riding out of well-ridden areas.
The person killed Saturday is the third fatality involving an avalanche this month.
Two weeks ago an avalanche in Nelson killed one police officer, Constable Wade Tittemore, and left another, Constable Mathieu Nolet, critically injured.
However, on Saturday the City of Nelson confirmed Nolet later died of his injuries in hospital in Kelowna.
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