A tour guide helped rescue a snowmobiler who was deeply buried by an avalanche in B.C.’s rugged Southern Interior this week.
Great Canadian Tours of Revelstoke posted on social media how one of its tours was returning home on Monday afternoon when the guide spotted something unusual.
The tour company said several snowmobilers were off their machines, probing the snow, and that the guide ventured over to assess the situation.
He quickly discovered that one snowmobiler was buried, and that his compatriots couldn’t get a proper signal from his emergency beacon.
“Our guide quickly takes over the scene, locates the subject’s signal and gets his buddies to start digging to find him unconscious and cyanotic, standing up-right roughly 1.5 metres (five feet) below the snow,” said Great Canadian Tours.
Cyanosis is the term when skin appears blue or purple due to lack of oxygen.
“His buddies yank him out of the hole and, miraculously, when they laid him down, he started breathing.”
The tour company said snowmobile seats were used to help insulate the man, and that bottles filled with hot water were placed close to the victim’s core.
“Our team is super proud of our guide on scene, Olivier Meilleur,” said Great Canadian Tours, noting that he’s an instructor and avalanche forecaster.
Global News has reached out to the company for more information.
Revelstoke Search and Rescue quickly rushed to the site.
On Monday morning, Avalanche Canada posted a warning about avalanche conditions along the eastern portions of the province.
In another post, it said, “We know storms have been rare this year, but don’t let that powder trick you into poor decisions. The new snow has fallen on persistent problems in many regions and we’re expecting dangerous avalanche conditions to stick around for a little longer.
“Be disciplined and keep those terrain choices conservative.”
On Saturday, a man died after being buried in an avalanche while snowmobiling in southwestern Alberta.
Avalanche Canada said a group of snowmobilers triggered the slide near Castle Mountain Resort. Two were caught in the slide, with one escaping.
For the latest conditions, visit Avalanche Canada.
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