BURSTAs spring warms Revelstoke’s streetscapes and beckons back restaurant patios, in Rogers Pass, the winter permit system remains in place with snow and large avalanches continuing to fall.
Last Friday afternoon, April 10, one backcountry skier reported and photographed a Size 3.5 or 4 avalanche cascading down the southwest face of Mount Macoun in Glacier National Park.
The snowslide reportedly triggered from an elevation of 2,800 metres and ran several hundred metres down into Glacier Circle, not involving any recreationists but knocking down trees in its path.
Another skier shared on Wednesday, April 15, that 40 centimetres of fresh snow had landed in Rogers Pass the previous night. They witnessed as many as five Size 2.5 avalanches on the south side of the park, off Lookout Mountain and Mount Sir Donald.
READ: A ‘stellar’ jay: The blue bird in Rogers Pass that might just come say hi
North of the Trans-Canada Highway near Video Peak, another Mountain Information Network (MIN) report indicated that one skier got caught in a 40-metre-wide Size 2 storm slab avalanche that carried them 100 m downslope, without injury.
On Thursday morning, April 16, a group of three skiers were traversing Youngs Peak near the Illecillewaet Glacier when they watched a different party trigger another Size 2 storm slab to their right, which spared everyone, including a skier at the bottom of the slope.
“Felt like we were back to winter out there!” one skier wrote, describing the 40 cm of post-storm snow sticking around. “Be careful not to bite the hand that feeds!”
These incidents follow the death of a 25-year-old U.S. skier who tumbled about 600 metres down Swiss Peak two weeks ago, when a Size 1 loose-snow avalanche known as sluff knocked him off his feet.
“Parks Canada extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of a backcountry skier who passed away on March 30,” public relations officer Guylaine St-Gelais told Black Press Media by email.
An emergency call from fellow skiers at the summit of Swiss Peak triggered a response by Parks Canada’s visitor safety staff, and one skier managed to descend to their fallen companion, who’d come to rest on the glacier below.
“One skier was evacuated by helicopter, while the remaining two members of the party descended safely with support from Parks Canada,” St-Gelais reported. “Due to strong winds and deteriorating weather conditions, recovery efforts could not be completed on March 30 and were delayed to the following day.”
Based on data from Avalanche Canada’s database, this marked the first avalanche fatality in Rogers Pass since a skier died in a slab snowslide off Sifton Col on March 24, 2013.
St-Gelais added that backcountry travel involves inherent risk, and people are ultimately responsible for their own safety and decision-making in Parks Canada’s avalanche terrain.
READ: U.S. skier dies in Rogers Pass after ‘sluff’ knocks him 600 metres down peak
More dangerous snow conditions will resurge in the Rogers Pass late into the month. Avalanche risk is currently rated moderate from the alpine to treeline and may climb to considerable danger by this Sunday, April 19.
“Give the new snow several days to settle and stabilize before pushing into bigger terrain,” Parks Canada suggests. “Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.”
Early spring has been a different story on the west side of Rogers Pass, though, according to another MIN report.
One park visitor said they already saw a sow bear with three cubs on the lower reaches of Mount McGill this April 16.
“Definitely spring!” they remarked.
Check the latest MIN reports and avalanche forecasts at avalanche.ca.