Avalanche Incident
Avalanche Incident
Edmonton Journal
JASPER, Alta. (CP) - A man is dead after an avalanche, believed to be triggered by snowboarders, came down Sunday evening in Jasper National Park. The avalanche on Whistler's Mountain, near the Jasper townsite in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, also caused minor injuries to at least one other individual.
"It appears they were snowboarding," said Gerry Israelson, backcountry manager for the park.
Police had not released the identity of the victim late Sunday night.
Israelson said a skytram up the mountain was still operating when the avalanche occurred early Sunday evening.
"It's my hunch that these guys likely took the skytram up the top of Whistler's Mountain and started having fun on a patch of snow.
"It's one of these things where people go to the top of the skytram and then they're free to go wherever they like in the general area."
Scott Sherlow, a dispatcher at Jasper fire hall, said the victim's body was flown to the Jasper Hospital.
Sherlow was unable to say how long it took rescuers to reach the site of the avalanche, or if the party of snowboarders involved were equipped with avalanche transceivers.
Investigators also couldn't say for certain whether the avalanche was caused by skiers or by natural conditions.
In late November last year, four Calgary teens were swept to their deaths by an avalanche outside of Banff National Park after they had hiked into the back country in search of snow for their snowboards and skis.
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