Kootenay Pass avalanche kills 23-year-old snowmobiler; Forecasters warn of high risks in BC’s backcountry

RCMP say a snowmobiler in B.C.’s interior has died after an avalanche in the Kootenay Pass area on Saturday, as forecasters warned that dangerous conditions remain across the province.

Avalanche Canada said two snowmobilers were on a slope below a transmission line in the province’s Selkirk Mountain range when they triggered an avalanche. Both were buried before being dug up by other riders in the area, but RCMP say one of them, a 23-year-old man, did not survive.

It comes exactly one day later 15-year-old boy from Calgary, Alta dies After being buried in an avalanche at Nakiska Ski Area near Kananaskis.

Avalanche risk remains high across much of Western Canada, according to Wendy Lewis, forecaster with Avalanche Canada.

She says the danger level in the Kootenay Pass area is rated “significant,” with recent snowstorms adding stress to increasingly weak layers buried under snowpack.

“Right now we have the same situation more broadly in the interior, which is a very weak complex ice pack with buried weak layers,” he said. “We have a lot of new snow above us that is putting pressure on those weaker layers. Those conditions contributed to that avalanche.”

The size of the avalanche was rated 2.5 on a five-point catastrophic scale, which is large enough to bury, injure or kill a person, according to the organization.

The death is BC’s fifth this season at Kootenay Pass.

A professional backcountry snowboarder The Oregon resident died in a slide near Joffre Lakes Park on Feb. 24. Less than a week ago, a skier was killed East of Revelstoke after being buried in an avalanche. On 17 February, a snowmobiler died near Fernie, and another was killed Near Tumbler Ridge in northeastern BC in December

Fresh snowfall and strong winds have created high avalanche danger in many areas of BC. As of March 1, northwestern and southeastern BC, including parts of the Revelstoke Mountain Range, are rated at high risk.

Lewis said when ratings are high the advice is straightforward.

“Avoid contact with avalanche prone areas,” he said. “Stick to non-avalanche terrain, so lower angle slopes are free from the danger at the top where you’re unlikely to be hit by an avalanche.”

Blue skies after a storm could create a false sense of security, the forecaster said.

“We call it powder fever … after a storm, it can be very tempting to go outside,” she said. “We’re encouraging people to recognize that the time is not yet. It’s time to remain conservative.”

Search and Rescue Adjustment Response

Dave Merritt, avalanche and winter response chief for Prince George Search and Rescue, said teams are seeing increased calls across the province following heavy snowfall in recent days.

“We have received more than one and a half meters of snowfall in some areas,” he said. “Avalanche danger has increased. People really want to enjoy the snow.”

Merritt said the increased threat level means search and rescue teams sometimes have to delay operations to ensure the safety of volunteers.

“We can’t contact you until daylight because we can’t send volunteers to the area until we’ve assessed the avalanche danger, which is almost impossible to do at night,” he said.

He urged backcountry users to adjust plans and avoid risky terrain.

“If you’re snowmobiling, maybe don’t go into the mountains that day,” he said. “There are plenty of opportunities in Western Canada to accommodate our plans.”

Both Lewis and Merritt are urging backcountry users to check local forecasts and take avalanche skills training to stay aware of conditions.