One killed after avalanche near Smithers
Posted February 27, 2011 12:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
SMITHERS (NEWS1130) – A skier from Regina has been killed and another from Canmore, Alberta is missing after an avalanche near Smithers.
Two other people in the group survived.
The avalanche struck as four self-guided skiers were tackling slopes only accessible by helicopter.
One of the skiers was able to dig himself and a 64-year-old man out. They then found their 52-year-old female companion, who was dead, and they were unable to find the fourth skier.
The RCMP’s Dan Moskaluk says conditions are so dangerous, a search for that fourth person has been called off. “They looked at the conditions. They were able to conduct some slope stabilization by blasting slopes in the area. However, given the weather and the conditions that they have, the recovery in earnest will have to be delayed.”
Crews will have to fly, then ski into the area to resume their search and recover the body on Monday.
