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Search continues for snowmobiler swept away by avalanche
A Calgary father and son were involved in a fatal avalanche Saturday southwest of Invermere.
The 51-year-old father was confirmed deceased at Invermere and District Hospital Jan. 12 and his 24-year-old son remains missing and believed swept into a high alpine lake.
Columbia Valley RCMP and Columbia Valley Search and Rescue members attended to the avalanche on Mount Brewer near Panorama Mountain Resort.
The two men swept away by the avalanche were part of a group of nine snowmobilers.
On Saturday, January 12, at approximately 2:50 p.m,. Columbia Valley RCMP was notified by the International Emergency Response Coordination Centre of an emergency beacon message regarding snowmobilers being caught in an avalanche on the east face of Mount Brewer, just southeast of Invermere.
A group of nine snowmobilers from Calgary, Alberta were snowmobiling together. The avalanche was reportedly triggered after one of the snowmobilers was high marking, Columbia Valley RCMP reported.
No injuries were sustained by the other seven snowmobilers.
RCMP requested the assistance of the local Search & Rescue team, with members attending the location and recovering a 51-year-old male from Calgary. CPR was initiated and the male was flown to the Invermere and District Hospital where he was confirmed deceased.
CVSAR reports its avalanche technicians, along with ski guides from RK Heli-Ski and avalanche technicians from Panorama Resort, attended the scene as per pre-arranged mutual aid agreements. Rescuers were on scene quickly and were able to remove one person from the snow. CPR was initiated and that person was taken to Invermere hospital.
“A signal from a second transceiver was found by one member who flew over the debris field and he was able to pinpoint a location in the middle of an alpine lake. Crews returned Sunday morning and conducted avalanche control work to mitigate any remaining hazards and to try to extricate the second person involved,” CVSAR said.
RCMP dive team and Ice Rescue Technicians also responded and an ongoing joint operation is resuming this morning, Jan. 14, to retrieve the second person.
Lead image: The avalanche site. CVSAR photo
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