Alberta safety officials are emphasizing the importance of carrying safety equipment while climbing after three scramblers triggered an avalanche Tuesday afternoon.
The Kananaskis Country Public Safety Section said the scramblers “had a very rough ride down rocky and snowy terrain” on Wind Mountain in Kananaskis Country. The below photo was posted to show the terrain:
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The activation of their SPOT (a device that sends GPS location) alerted rescue crews, who sent a helicopter to evacuate the group. They were transferred to paramedics.
Two of them were being “evaluated in hospital” as of 4:30 p.m., according to the Facebook post.
“You don’t need a large area of snow to trigger an avalanche that could be quite harmful,” the Kananaskis public safety officials wrote. “Take an AST [Avalanche Skills Training] course, carry and know how to use avalanche rescue equipment.”
Officials also encouraged visitors to check local weather conditions ahead of trips at www.avalanche.ca.