A skier died in Rogers Pass on Monday afternoon after a loose-snow avalanche caused them to tumble 600 metres down a mountain, Parks Canada has shared.
According to a fatal incident report posted by the federal agency via Avalanche Canada, the skier was descending with three other backcountry users March 30 down the northeast face of Swiss Peak in Glacier National Park.
Around 1 p.m., the skier was the first to attempt the upper part of the descent. About 70 metres below the summit of Swiss Peak, they triggered a Size 1 loose-snow avalanche — known as sluff — that caught them and knocked them off their feet.
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The skier fell over a 10-metre cliff, and couldn’t secure themselves before falling farther.
“They then tumbled approximately 600 vertical meters through large cliffy terrain before stopping on the glacier below,” Parks Canada reported.
The skier had rapidly descended from about 3,075 metres to 2,500 metres in elevation. Parks Canada says they sustained significant trauma during the fall, and succumbed to their injuries on site.
According to Avalanche Canada, avalanche sluff such as what triggered this fatal incident is common while riding steep slopes.
“Sluffs can knock a person off their feet or machine, they can have high consequences if paired with a terrain trap, and can even bury a person if they gather enough mass,” the organization says online.
Avalanche Canada adds that skiers and splitboarders can anticipate sluff and adjust their riding technique to avoid getting caught in it when riding.
“One of the most common forms of sluff management involves skiing short pitches and pulling over to safe spots to escape the flow of sluff while it passes,” it suggests.
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The avalanche danger rating for touring in the alpine areas of Rogers Pass on Monday was considered moderate.
“Flurries over the next few days will incrementally add loose snow to the slopes,” Parks Canada posted to Avalanche Canada on Tuesday, March 31. “While this often makes for fun, predictable descents in dreamy conditions, you will need to watch for seemingly innocent small sluffs that can knock you off your feet.”
Sgt. Derek Rondeau of Revelstoke RCMP told Black Press Media that the fatality Monday occurred outside the detachment’s jurisdiction, and that Golden-Field RCMP is tasked with investigating the incident.
Black Press Media is updating this story as more information becomes available.