An Edmonton man has died after falling during a hike on Mount Temple in Banff National Park on Saturday.
Lake Louise RCMP said shortly before noon on July 9, emergency services were notified that a man who had been with a group of experienced hikers had lost his footing and slipped on a patch of snow and ice while climbing.
With the assistance of Parks Canada’s helicopter, officials said the hiker was found 3,300 feet from the initial site of the fall and had succumbed to his injuries.
In a news release on Monday, Lake Louise RCMP noted it “sends their condolences to all involved in this tragedy.”
On Monday night, Bruce Kirkland, the president and CEO of Lexus of Edmonton, confirmed to Global News that Matt Miller was the man who died.
He said Miller worked at the car dealership for 16 years.
“It is with incredibly heavy hearts we announce the passing of our dealer principal and good friend, Matt Miller,” read a post on the car dealership’s Facebook page Monday night.
On Tuesday, the president of the Edmonton Executives Association, an organization that Miller belonged to, spoke out about the tragedy.
“(It’s an) unfathomable loss to the community,” Daryn Kemp said, noting Miller was just 42 years old. “He was always warm and welcoming.
“You never felt like he didn’t have time for you. He was a magical person… a really great guy.”
Kemp said he has fond memories of Miller from EEA breakfast meetings and from running into him at various sporting facilities in Edmonton.
“He was always that kind of guy you really truly wanted to talk to and find out, ‘What are you doing this weekend?'” Kemp said, adding Miller was also “very engaged” in the local business community and had a bright future ahead of him.
He said he was one of the people who helped welcome Miller into the EEA when he joined in 2018.
“He always had great stories and he was very outgoing and adventurous and loved life to the fullest,” Kemp said.
–With files from Sarah Komadina, Global News