A 42 year old man from Squamish died in an avalanche burial near Pemberton Thursday afternoon. NEWS1130 reports the authorities were alerted to the situation yesterday around 2pm when they received an emergency beacon that was activated near Pebble Peak. The man was skiing with a group when the slide buried him. Sgt. Rob Knapton with Whistler RCMP:
“The other people that were skiing with that person that was buried had probes and beacons, so they were able to locate the person as well as dig them out. Unfortunately, as a result of the avalanche, the person who got buried perished in the avalanche.”
The group then moved the man’s body to a local cabin, but emergency crews weren’t able to get there until late Friday morning:
“We attended to the cabin and were able to recover the body and help extricate the other people that were currently there.”
The exact circumstances that caused the slide are unclear as well as what the avalanche rating was in the area where the skiers were at the time of the slide. Sgt. Knapton noted the group was experienced in the backcountry and were all well-equipped for an avalanche rescue:
“But something we want to make sure we reiterate to the public is if you’re going to go into the backcountry, please make sure you’re trained in the equipment and have equipment for yourself and the entire team. Also, make sure you pay attention to the avalanche forecast and what weather conditions will be when you’re out there, as well as leave a plan with somebody back where you come from so they can call us if something does happen.”
A backcountry skier has died after being buried in an avalanche on Pebble Peak (north of Pemberton) yesterday p-m@WhistlerRCMP say man was 42 y-o, from Sea to Sky area. Was w/ well prepared group. Friends dug him out & were forced to stay in nearby cabin overnight before rescue
— Lasia Kretzel (@rhymeswpretzel) January 4, 2019
