Abbotsford media outlets on Monday identified the skier who fell into a crevasse in Yoho National Park as Mark Taylor, the city’s manager of parks, recreation and culture.
The city itself initially refused to comment on the situation but eventually acknowledged Taylor’s plight.
While Mayor Bruce Banman was unavailable for an interview due to council meetings, he did provide a statement by email.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family, and we respect their need for privacy during this difficult time,” wrote Banman.
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Bad weather delayed the search Monday morning for the backcountry skier missing on the Wapta ice field in Yoho in the southeastern portion of the province.
Omar McDadi of Parks Canada said conditions in the area Monday were not “flyable” for a helicopter.
“It’s starting to clear,” McDadi said of the snow and overcast skies.
The missing man was one of three skiers who became trapped in the challenging terrain on Wednesday, but Taylor fell into a crevasse. An emergency locator was activated and his two companions dug a snow cave. They were rescued Friday.
McDadi said a search and rescue team of about 10 people was involved in last week’s rescue, but the squad on standby Monday was much smaller.
“It will be a much smaller crew because we know exactly where to go and exactly what to do,” he said.
But McDadi would not say whether the search had changed from a rescue to a recovery operation.
“We can’t really speculate until our visitor-safety team gets inside the crevasse,” he said.
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