CALGARY- A 34-year-old Canmore man was killed in an avalanche Saturday afternoon in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country.
RCMP said the man was backcountry skiing with four other people in the Mount Black Prince area when the avalanche hit. They were swept 600 metres down a slope.
Two people were able to hike out of the area to get help. When rescue crews arrived at the scene the remaining three skiers were airlifted off the mountain by helicopter to a staging area, where the Canmore man was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.
Another man in the group suffered a broken leg.
All of them were able to stay above the surface of the avalanche.
“All the group was actually equipped with avalanche safety gear and did a good job to get out and get an effective response,” said Mike Koppang from Kananaskis Country Public Safety.
On Friday, Parks Canada issued a special avalanche warning for many of the mountain parks.
“Coming out of the recent snowfall we had last week, we’re encouraging people to use moderate terrain choices and use safe travel practices getting through different areas of terrain,” Koppang said.
The warning included Banff, Yoho, Kootenay and Jasper national parks, as well as Kananaskis Country.
Parks Canada recommends backcountry users carry an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel and should have some training in recognizing avalanche terrain and safe backcountry travel techniques.
For more information on the current avalanche forecast, visit the bulletins page at avalanche.ca/cac.
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