Incident Summary
- Date
- 2016-09-25
- Location
- Mt. Victoria - The Sickle into The Deathtrap
- Location Description
- Province
- AB
- Coordinates
- 51.37060 °, -116.29020 °
- Elevation
- 2850 m
- Activity
- Backcountry Skiing
- Involvement
- 1
- Injury
- 0
- Fatality
- 1
- Description
- Two skiers ascending Mt. Victoria to ski The Sickle. Approached via The Deathtrap and once above the big cliffs they contoured back above those cliffs until below The Sickle ski line. Skiers began ascending in deteriorating conditions. At approximately 2875 m, the skiers stopped and decided to retreat due to poor conditions and hand shears they did not like. The first skier began descending while the second skier was a few minutes behind him. When the second skier was descending he could see no sign of his partner and then skied over the bed surface of a small wind slab. He continued to descend, following their up track and once back into The Deathtrap, he located his friend on the surface of the snow at the base of a 75 m cliff. Second skier then descended for help.
Avalanches
| Date/Time | Size | Type | Trigger | Elevation | Aspect | Slab width | Slab Thickness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-09-25 09:00 | 1 | S | S | 2850 m | e | 30 m | 20 cm |
Weather
| Present Temp | Max Temp | Min Temp | 24hr Trend | Wind Speed | Wind Direction | Sky Condition | Precipitation Type & Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | Falling | M | sw | OVC | S-1 |
Weather Comment: Poor weather that morning. Overcast and windy.
Snowpack
| Snowpack | 24hr Snow | Storm Snow | Storm Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | 10 cm | 40 cm | - |
Snowpack Comment: Amounts given above are estimates only. Since the end of August it has been snowing in alpine areas and we estimate >100 cm of snow over the month prior to this avalanche. Combined with strong winds the day before and the morning of the avalanche, this has created windslabs in alpine areas.
Documents
No documents available.