Skier Killed In Avalanche In Closed Area of Alberta Ski Resort

Tragic news out of Alberta where a skier died in a human triggered avalanche in Lake Louise Saturday.

The Calgary Herald reports a group of two skiers and one snowboarder entered a closed area of Lake Louise Ski Resort known as the West Bowl on Saturday afternoon and triggered an avalanche that buried two people.Avalanche rescue crews were quickly dispatched around 2:20 p.m. after the incident was reported. One partially buried skier was rescued, but another was fully buried and did not survive. The deceased is a 22-year-old man.

The man was buried for roughly an hour before being extracted from the avalanche debris. He was airlifted to the resort’s medical hut and pronounced dead after resuscitation attempts there.

“None of the individuals were wearing avalanche safety equipment. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased.” –Lake Louise Ski Resort

LAKE LOUISE SKI RESORT STATEMENT:

At approximately 2:20 PM Saturday April 22nd Lake Louise Ski Resort received a call of an avalanche incident in a closed area of the resort called West Bowl. At that time both Parks Canada and EMS were contacted and an avalanche rescue team was dispatched to the location.

Upon arriving on scene it was determined that a group of three entered the closed area and triggered a size 3 avalanche burying two individuals. One individual was partially buried and rescued, but another was fully buried and did not survive. None of the individuals were wearing avalanche safety equipment. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased.

This is also a serious reminder of the dangers of entering closed terrain. For more information on general avalanche safety and awareness go to www.avalanche.ca

AVALANCHE CANADA REPORT

Avalanche size/type: Size 3, Deep Persistent Slab

Aspect: West

Elevation: 2550 m

Number caught: 2

Number deceased: 1

Description: A skier-triggered avalanche occurred in a closed area within the Lake Louise ski resort. Two people were caught. One was partially buried and survived. One was fully buried and did not survive.

The avalanche was reported to be 200 m wide and 550 m long with a crown depth of 40-50 cm.

images from avalanche.ca