Skiing Tragedies Hit Canada
Canada mourns after a four-year-old girl died following a cross-country skiing accident in western Quebec, and a teenager was killed in an avalanche at Nakiska Ski Area, Alberta. Meanwhile, Southern Oregon ski areas like Mt. Ashland and Mt. Shasta have suspended operations due to low snowfall and warm temperatures.
The incident at the Nakkertok Nordic Ski Club in Val-des-Monts, Quebec, occurred on February 22 when an adult skier pulling the four-year-old in a sled fell, causing fatal injuries to the child. The girl was initially taken to a hospital in Wakefield before being transferred to the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, where she succumbed to her injuries. In Alberta, the 15-year-old victim of the February 27 avalanche at Nakiska Ski Area has been identified as Emilio Hrazdira, a promising ski racer from Calgary. Hrazdira and another teen athlete were "bootpacking" (hiking up a slope with skis on their shoulders) when they triggered a Size 2 wind slab avalanche. His companion was only partially buried and managed to dig himself out. The avalanche danger in the Kananaskis Country region, where Nakiska is located, was rated as "considerable" to "high" at the time of the incident. Avalanche Canada had issued warnings about a reactive snowpack primed for human-triggering due to strong winds and new snow. This fatality marked the fifth avalanche-related death in Canada for the season. Across Canada, there are an average of 11 avalanche-related deaths each year, with the majority occurring in British Columbia and Alberta during recreational activities. Asphyxia is the leading cause of death in these incidents, accounting for approximately 75% of fatalities. The operational suspensions at Mt. Ashland and Mt. Shasta are part of a broader trend of inconsistent winter seasons affecting lower-elevation resorts in the Pacific Northwest. Mt. Ashland, which relies entirely on natural snowfall, has had a stop-and-start season with multiple pauses since December due to low snowpack and rain. This season's challenges are not isolated, as several ski resorts in the French Alps and Japan have also faced closures and delayed openings due to insufficient snowfall. These disruptions highlight the increasing vulnerability of the ski industry to warmer temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns.
