BC Snowmobiler Dies in Avalanche
A 23-year-old snowmobiler died in a Kootenay Pass avalanche, prompting forecasters to warn of continued high risks in B.C.'s backcountry. The incident highlights avalanche dangers as temperatures fluctuate and snowpack stability varies. Authorities are urging extreme caution for all backcountry users.
The fatal avalanche was a size 2.5 persistent slab triggered by the two snowmobilers riding on a slope under a transmission line. The slide was approximately 150 meters wide and ran for 300 meters, with a crown depth of up to 120 centimeters. Other snowmobilers in the area witnessed the event and rushed to help, successfully extracting both buried men. Authorities were alerted to the incident around 12:10 p.m. through an SOS activation from a Garmin satellite device. Creston RCMP, along with Search and Rescue teams and BC Emergency Health Services, responded to the scene. Despite the rescue efforts, the 23-year-old man died at the scene. This was the fifth avalanche-related death in British Columbia for the season and the third in a nine-day period, following other fatal slides near Revelstoke and Pemberton. The incident highlights an unusually dangerous season, with forecasters from Avalanche Canada pointing to a "very weak complex snow pack." Just days before the Kootenay Pass fatality, Avalanche Canada had issued a widespread special warning for most of B.C. and parts of Alberta, urging "everyone to stay safe by exercising caution." The danger rating for the Kootenay Pass area was "considerable" due to recent heavy snowfall adding stress to persistent weak layers buried deep in the snowpack. Forecasters were explicitly advising backcountry users to avoid all avalanche terrain.
