Avalanche at Kootenay Pass claims life of one person
If you live in Western Canada and ski – especially backcountry ski, you know the snowpack is leaving much to be desired in most places right now.
We finally received some epic snowfall after a long drought here in our part of the world, however, this new snow has fallen on an unstable layer which is making the threat of avalanches pretty severe. Many backcountry skiers are out taking advantage of the fresh powder. Tragically, four skiers from the Nelson area were involved in a large avalanche in Kootenay Pass, where one person lost his life and another is in the hospital with serious injuries.
Long drought
It has been about two months of drought in January and February since a significant enough snowfall has fallen, and many skiers are anxious for snow and to get out and get some powder turns. We are among those people, so the past week a few of us from BC25 spent some time in the Kootenays, which are famous for epic powder all winter long. We were hoping to backcountry ski in safe spots when the hazard was lower and ski in the Whitewater ski resort as well, especially when we didn’t feel comfortable to venture out in the backcountry.
Big snowfall on unstable layer
A recent big snowfall mid-week has really improved conditions, allowing for great powder skiing at local resorts of Whitewater (near Nelson, BC), Red Mountain in Rossland, BC and tons of backcountry locations that had to be carefully selected. This snowfall however falls on the surface of an old layer that was exposed for weeks, to wind, cold temperatures and sun that allowed a hoar frost layer to form. This layer is precarious and behaves essentially like ‘ball bearings’ on which new snow can slide on. Immediately following a heavy snowfall is the most dangerous time. At this time, the weak layer was sitting underneath a deep layer of fresh powder snow and was very susceptible deep within the snowpack, from one meter to two meters in places. This means that the potential for large avalanches was very big – and if things did slide – they would likely be very big avalanches.
Special public avalanche warning issued
After a period of heavy snowfall which has not yet bonded to the current snow, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) often issues a special public avalanche warning, and such a warning was in fact in effect after this snowfall. These notices are often issued for an extended period of instability right before a weekend, when most people head out.
The danger is often exacerbated by periods of sunny, clear sky weather, which draws people out like a magnet – and in fact was in the forecast for that weekend. During this time promise of fresh powder coupled with clear skies and sun makes venturing out tough to resist – but if you do go out in these conditions, terrain selection is very very important. The risk for avalanches was rated ‘considerable’ in the trees, sub-alpine and alpine.
Incident on Kootenay Pass
Unfortunately, the worst fears of avalanche forecasters came true last weekend. On Sunday, February 23, four skiers from Nelson remotely triggered an avalanche on Lighting Strike Ridge, a popular backcountry ski area on Kootenay Pass. The size 2.5 avalanche swept the two victims over a cliff and into the trees below. Two remaining members of the group were able to call for help, and six other skiers in the area toured in to help with the rescue.
The male involved was dragged down the slope through a lot of trees, while the woman got hung up on the tree, and rescuers think this is probably what saved her life. One person skied out to the highway to call for help and the first search and rescue personnel arrived between 2:30 and 3 pm.
One male, aged 28 was declared dead on the scene. The other victim, a 27 year old woman was finally rescued by 26 volunteers because the fading daylight and weather conditions made rescue by helicopter impossible. It was assessed that she could not wait the night in her condition, when a helicopter could attempt another rescue, so had to be rescued by sheer manpower. Rescuers came from all over the area and she was packaged, dragged down the creek valley, and up to the highway. She was transferred to BC Ambulance personnel at around 11 pm. She remains in the hospital with serious injuries. The casualty was finally evacuated from the area later on Monday, February 24.
We drove through Kootenay Pass on our way back home on Monday, and witnessed what looked like a bombing of the slope to release any more instabilities in the slope, and retrieval of the remaining, deceased skier. A very sad event. A vehicle marked “Nelson Search and Rescue” was parked on the side of the highway. We did not find out about the incident until after we drove through and were saddened to learn the real reason for the search and rescue vehicle and helicopter.
A sobering event that reminds us the importance of terrain selection and staying safe.
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