5 skiers rescued after being buried by avalanche north of Whistler, B.C.
CBC
Four heli-skiers and their guide had to be rescued after an avalanche buried them near Pemberton, B.C., north of Whistler on Monday, according to RCMP.
Whistler RCMP said they first received reports of an avalanche at 11:30 a.m. PT in the Ipsoot Mountain area, in a backcountry ski area called "The Meadow."
Police say a group in the area from Whistler Heli-Skiing faced a human-triggered avalanche, and four of them were fully buried and one was partially buried.
RCMP Const. Antoine Graebling says the avalanche was size 2.5 (on a 1-5 scale), which Avalanche Canada classifies as being large enough to bury or kill a person. By way of comparison, size 3 could destroy a car and size 5 bury a village,
Graebling says the group of heli-skiers was lucky there was another group nearby, which swung into action and rescued them from the snow.
"They were able to respond almost immediately as they witnessed the avalanche getting triggered and going down the slope," he told CBC News. "So the first rescue efforts were immediate.
"The avalanche was reported to have happened at about 11:30 a.m., and we were notified that at 11:32 a.m., rescue efforts were already on the way shortly after."
Graebling said the rescued skiers were all in stable condition, but he warned skiers and backcountry users to be aware of the conditions as the holidays are in full swing.
The constable said Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol and search-and-rescue officials were on scene, and there was no evidence to suggest negligence on the part of Whistler Heli-Skiing.
"It is quite a powerful avalanche, but the snowpack is fairly light in terms of density at the moment," he said.
"So despite quite a large size of it, the group in question was lucky to be facing very almost light and fluffy snow instead of that ... heavy, kind of cement-like almost snow."
Conditions can change dramatically in the backcountry, the constable warned and asked anyone planning a trip to be prepared and check avalanche forecasts before they head out.
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