On a weekend when a special warning for B.C.’s backcountry was issued an avalanche near Valemount, B.C. has claimed the life of a snowmobiler.
On Saturday at 12:32 p.m. Valemount RCMP were alerted to several SPOT distress beacons, along with GPS co-ordinates, activated in the Clemina Creek snowmobile area.
Search and Rescue teams were sent out from Valemount and McBride and confirmed that one man was dead, buried in the snow.
Avalanche technicians assessed the site and deemed it a high-risk for emergency crews. The BC Coroner Service will visit the site once conditions make it safe.
On Thursday the Canadian avalanche Centre in Revelstoke issued a special public avalanche warning for most regions of the province.
According to Karl Klassen, public avalanche warning service manager for CAC, the risk was increased due to sun and warm temperatures destabilizing the snowpack.
He also said that “the potential for very large natural and human-triggered avalanches failing deep in the snowpack.”
This weekend also marked Avalanche Awareness Days at Mount Seymour.
AdventureSmart, CAC and BC Parks were on the mountain handing out education materials about backcountry safety and preparedness.
Backcountry travelers are encouraged to visit the CAC website for safety tips and avalanche information.
