What was supposed to be a weeklong spring snowmobiling trip in the Bugaboos turned deadly for a Crossfield man.
Mark Daniels, 41, set out Friday with a group of three friends for adventure in the southeast corner of British Columbia during considerable avalanche conditions.
On Monday, Daniels was highmarking, triggering a snow slide that thundered down and swept him to his death. It’s the seventh such death in less than a month.
The Crossfield father of three had avalanche training and was wearing a beacon, but none of his preparedness saved him from the deadly slide.
"I told him not to go," said Daniels’ father-in-law Bob Allen, who spoke with him Friday before he set out.
"We’ve been watching all winter long with people getting killed. The odds are against you," said Allen.
"If you’re going to the hills at dangerous times when you’re single, that’s one thing. With a family it’s hard on everybody."
Sadly, Allen’s family is no stranger to heartbreak. Another daughter’s husband was killed in a plane crash.
Daniels, who was married to Susan for 14 years, was a respected manager at Arctic Truck Parts and Service.
"He was a good father and a good husband. It’s just unfortunate that he was snowmobiling. He was a really good guy, I liked him. It’s just sickening," said Allen.
Invermere RCMP say Monday’s slide slammed down around 6:30 p.m. in Bugaboo Provincial Park in an area known as the Silver Basin, about 90 kilometres northwest of Invermere. The 70-metre-wide slide travelled 365 metres.
A local guide said the avalanche was a Class 2 1/2.
Police say Daniels was "highmarking" at the time, a dangerous activity that involves driving a snowmobile as far as possible up a steep slope before turning around. He was in the middle of his U-turn when the slide was triggered.
Daniels’ friends frantically dug him out from under about a metre of packed snow.
It is estimated that Daniels was under the snow for up to 20 minutes.
Police say the friends were familiar with the area. It’s a popular destination for heli-skiers and an area that falls under the jurisdiction of tour operator Canadian Mountain Holidays. The men were wearing transmitter beacons at the time of the slide.
Although the friends were not clients of Canadian Mountain Holidays, staff knew snowmobilers were in the area. When a CMH helicopter flew over the area, it spotted a group signalling for help.
The pilot and a guide were able to land and provide assistance. Daniels was flown to Invermere hospital, where he was declared dead.
In mid-March, a nationwide call to regulate snowmobiling came after a massive slide near Revelstoke, B.C., swept over 200 snowmobilers and left two dead during an unauthorized gathering.
There have been 11 avalanche deaths this year in B.C. Five were skiers and six were snowmobilers.
Invermere is about 200 kilometres southwest of Calgary.
szickefoose@theherald.canwest.com
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