Incident Summary
- Date
- 2021-02-23
- Location
- Swift Creek
- Location Description
- Approximately 16km NE of Valemount
- Province
- BC
- Coordinates
- 52.91730 °, -119.08173 °
- Elevation
- 1950 m
- Activity
- Backcountry Skiing
- Involvement
- 3
- Injury
- 0
- Fatality
- 1
- Description
- Three skiers were caught in an avalanche estimated to be 400 metres wide and 50-140cm deep. The slide ran approximately 800 metres, nearly to valley bottom. The avalanche was likely remotely triggered from below the start zone after whumphing was reported to have occurred. Two people were partially buried and able to self rescue but could not locate the third person who was fully buried. Due to failing light SAR teams were not able to locate the missing skier on the day this incident occurred. The recovery mission found the deceased third skier the following day.
Avalanches
| Date/Time | Size | Type | Trigger | Elevation | Aspect | Slab width | Slab Thickness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | S | Sr | 2200 m | SE | 400 m | 95 cm |
Weather
| Present Temp | Max Temp | Min Temp | 24hr Trend | Wind Speed | Wind Direction | Sky Condition | Precipitation Type & Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Snowpack
| Snowpack | 24hr Snow | Storm Snow | Storm Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - |
Documents
| Document Date | Title | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-25 | Overview with fracture lines marked | Halik | view |