YOHO NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA – A 28-year-old woman was carried 300 metres down a steep mountain face to her death after a cornice collapsed on Mount des Poulis in Yoho National Park last week.
The fatal incident occurred when a group of five people was boot-hiking up a ridge near the summit of 3,166-metre Mount des Poilus mid-morning on Wednesday (April 13).
One person, the 28-year-old woman from Cochrane, was ahead of the group when a cornice, estimated to be 60 to 80 metres wide, collapsed and triggered a class 3 avalanche on the steep face below.
Previous reports by Avalanche Canada reported the woman was partially buried in the avalanche, but Parks Canada officials say this was not the case.
“The first person in line got pulled down when the cornice collapsed, and she ended up falling about 300 metres,” said Brian Webster, visitor safety manager for Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks.
“The cornice triggered an avalanche, but the person was not buried, and died from trauma from the fall.”
Parks Canada was alerted of the backcountry incident around 11:42 a.m. on April 13 by an InReach SOS activation.
Four visitor safety specialists were quick to respond and found the woman at the bottom of the slope on top of the avalanche debris.
“Right at the get-go, we had pretty good communication with the party so we knew what we were getting into,” said Webster.
The group of five skiers, who were based out of the Guy Hut at the Wapta Icefield, was doing a day trip to Mount des Poulis, located about 35 kilometres northwest of Lake Louise, when tragedy struck.
The nature of this ski ascent involves skiing for most of the way up, but closer to the summit, people are typically forced to take their skis off and boot-hike the last part of the ridge to the summit.
“They were boot hiking up the ridge when a cornice collapsed,” said Webster.
The skiers were well equipped, including with avalanche gear, satellite communication device and radio.
“They were able to call for help almost immediately and then they took actions to try and get as much information as possible to possibly do a self rescue,” said Webster.
“They tied somebody to a rope and had someone look over the edge to see what they could see, and then they were prepared to go down to the site via their ascent route and do some investigation,” he added.
“They were able to call us and we got there before they had descended down the mountain so we did our recovery and then helped the rest of the party out and got them back to the trailhead.”
BC RCMP confirmed the woman was 28 years old from Cochrane.
“The BC Coroners Service is continuing to investigate,” said Staff Sergeant Janelle Shoihet, senior media relations officer for the RCMP in B.C.
Webster said this incident emphasizes the risk cornices can pose when travelling in the mountains, particularly during spring when they are large and warm temperatures can make them more prone to collapse.
“Parties should be particularly careful when approaching ridge lines when cornices are present,” he said. “It is often difficult to determine exactly where the cornice starts, and giving them a wide berth is the best approach.”
Avalanche fatalities in Canada from 2000 to 2022
Parks Canada reminds people that anyone travelling into the backcountry is responsible for their own safety and urges them to carry a beacon, shovel and probe and check the avalanche forecast at avalanche.ca before heading out. Those seeking technical information about advanced alpine plans may call Banff National Park dispatch at 403-762-1470 and ask to speak with a visitor safety specialist.
In this particular incident last week, Webster said the group was well prepared.
“They had not only avalanche safety gear, they had a communications device, they had the ability to do self-rescue and they were very calm and collected,” he said.
“They were totally prepared for the objective they were attempting.”
Meanwhile, avalanches are categorized into five size classes as a general indication of their destructive potential, with the one on Mount des Poulis rated as a size 3, meaning it can bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a small building or break a few trees.
On a sliding scale, size one is considered relatively harmless to people and size five are the largest snow avalanches known, with potential to destroy a village or forest area of up to 40 hectares.
As of Tuesday (April 19), the avalanche hazard in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks was rated moderate in the alpine and low at both treeline and below treeline. The forecast for Wednesday was the same.
“New snow on Tuesday will improve the ski quality but expect some fresh wind slabs in the alpine over the next couple of days,” according to Parks Canada’s avalanche bulletin.