By Dave Branco

Avalanche deaths

Avalanche deaths above average

Apr 25, 2023 | 2:35 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Each year several people are killed by avalanches in Canada. A majority of the fatalities occur in BC. Tragically this winter, 15 people were killed. The latest tragedy occurred this past weekend, just across the border in Alberta.

An average of 10 people are killed by avalanches each year. However, this year that number jumped to 15 due to unstable snow.

“This year, it was really characterized by some dry, cold periods in November and December, which created very soft, weak snow, which has formed the foundation of all the snow that’s accumulated above it over the winter. So it’s this very weak, brittle structure that much of the interior and parts of the coast drains we’ve had this year, that’s made it quite dangerous.”

Simon Horton, Avalanche Canada

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The 2002- 2003 winter season saw 29 people killed in avalanches with similar snow conditions we saw this winter.

According to the BC Coroners Service, 53 percent of most avalanche-related deaths occurred in the Interior. Thirty percent of those happened in the North.

For the Search and Rescue teams that respond to avalanche calls, time is always of the essence.

“ With regards to Avalanche, it’s been an extremely busy year this season. So from December to now, it’s been about 27 operations regarding avalanche conditions and getting called out. It has been a busy year for avalanches, but one of the busiest.”

Dwight Yochim, BC Search and Rescue Association

According to the Coroners Service, between 2011 and 2022, Snowmobiling was the most common cause of avalanche death, followed by skiing and heli-skiing.