A skier is lucky to be alive after being caught in an avalanche just outside the Lake Louise ski area boundary on Tuesday.
Parks Canada Mountain Safety said on social media the skier “triggered and was caught in” the slide on the “Vortex” backcountry ski run.
According to Parks Canada Mountain Safety, the avalanche was a size 2.
Avalanche Canada says a size 2 slide is “big enough to bury, injure or kill a person.”
In this case, the skier came out of the avalanche OK.
“The skier was carried to the bottom, buried to their waist and lost both skis, but was otherwise uninjured,” Parks Canada Mountain Safety wrote on Facebook.
Parks Canada Mountain Safety called the ordeal “an important reminder avalanches can happen anytime on any slope above 30 degrees, regardless of current danger ratings.”
Video and images of the slide were shared.
The footage showed the skier coming down the slope, and the moment the snow started to break apart.
The snow rapidly picked up speed as it dropped, taking the skier with it.
One person on Facebook said the footage was “hard to watch.”
“Just finished an avi (avalanche) course today at Sunshine and now I see this,” wrote Aydin Odyakmaz.
“Glad skier is OK but hard to watch.”
“Oh. My. God!” wrote Tracey Wilkins.
“So lucky!”
According to Parks Canada Mountain Safety, the slide’s fracture line measured roughly 40 to 70 centimetres deep.
Parks Canada Mountain Safety said it happened on a west-facing slope at an elevation of 2,450 metres.
Parks Canada Mountain Safety recommends:
- having the appropriate skills, equipment, and experience;
- checking the daily avalanche report at avalanche.ca before heading out; and
- making informed decisions and conservative choices.
