Incident Summary
- Date
- 2016-02-21
- Location
- Esplanades, Cupola SE2
- Location Description
- Esplanade range approx. 50 km NW of Golden
- Province
- BC
- Coordinates
- 51.56350 °, -117.53570 °
- Elevation
- 2100 m
- Activity
- Backcountry Skiing
- Involvement
- 7
- Injury
- 6
- Fatality
- 1
- Description
- Feb 21st, 2016 at approximately 11:00 hours, a group of 13 backcountry skiers were involved in a size 3 avalanche on S22 (Hogzilla), a north-facing drainage off the eastern flank of Avalanche Peak. Ten skiers, including the guide and assistant guide, were caught. One skier was kicked out after a successful airbag deployment. Four managed to self-rescue. Five were buried, then uncovered by the group within 10 minutes. External support arrived from a nearby heliskiing operation and Golden SAR. Five victims had their injuries attended to at the Golden Hospital. Two further victims had serious injuries. One of these, requiring extensive CPR, was flown to Kamloops, BC. The other was flown by STARS to Foothills Calgary, but succumbed to internal injuries three days later.
Avalanches
| Date/Time | Size | Type | Trigger | Elevation | Aspect | Slab width | Slab Thickness |
|---|
| 2016-02-21 11:00 | 3 | S | S | 2100 m | n | 75 m | 50 cm |
Weather
| Present Temp | Max Temp | Min Temp | 24hr Trend | Wind Speed | Wind Direction | Sky Condition | Precipitation Type & Intensity |
|---|
| - | - | - | U | U | U | U | NIL |
Weather Comment: Mild temperatures in the alpine
Snowpack
| Snowpack | 24hr Snow | Storm Snow | Storm Date |
|---|
| - | - | - | - |
Snowpack Comment: Suspect failure on Feb 10 layer
Documents
| Document Date | Title | Source | |
|---|
| 2016-02-21 | Overview of avalanche path | Golden SAR | view |
| 2016-02-21 | Avalanche start zone | Golden SAR | view |