From volume 108, winter 2014-15

By Mike Koppang

WORRY WHENEVER I GET AN EMAIL from Karilyn at the CAA—I figure I have either once again forgotten to pay my dues, dated a cheque wrong, or done something else to create undue work for association staff in Revelstoke. Thankfully, this time it was simply a request to write about last winter’s busy rescue season out here on the east side of the divide. The 2013-14 season was busy with responses but one event sticks out in my mind, especially in the early season.

The incident occurred in a popular early season ice climbing area known as Ranger Creek, in the Smith Dorrien region of Kananaskis. The climbs in this area see lots of early season ice climbing traffic, in part due to their short, 45-minute approach and short drive from the Calgary/Canmore area. These climbs also, unfortunately, have a long history of catching parties off guard regarding avalanche hazard, and have been the scene of a few burials and accidents. Thankfully, we have had no fatalities in this area related to avalanche accidents, but despite all the public messaging this area still seems to produce an involvement every few years.

PHOTO FROM KANANASKIS COUNTRY PUBLIC SAFETY

The accident occurred in the late morning of November 2, 2013. It was during our first major storm of the season, with relatively small prior snowfalls. The request for assistance came in via a Personal Locator Beacon, which is similar to a SPOT device but transmits its signal to a different call centre coordinated by the Department of National Defence in Trenton. Through the registration details of the device, we were able to determine that it was owned by a European group who were climbing and skiing in the Rockies, and the latitude/longitude of the emergency transmission put it somewhat close to the climbing area up Ranger creek.

Conservation officers who work within the Kananaskis Country Public Safety program responded to the area to look for cars and perhaps talk to people near the trailhead to gather some information and initiate a response. Public Safety Specialists Jeremy Mackenzie and I were unable to fly with Alpine Helicopters from Canmore due to heavy snowfall and limited visibility, and had to respond by ground. Conservation officers on site reported localized weather of S4 with moderate SW winds and 20cm of accumulation on the road since earlier that morning.

As conservation officers reached the trailhead, they observed one person walking out of the area who reported an avalanche above the routes known as Chalice and the Blade and Lone Ranger. These are two 60m grade 4 and 4+ routes located at the head of the valley in complex terrain. The reporting party informed the officer that two separate groups of three people had been walking up to the base of the two routes. As they walked toward the routes, they were discussing the avalanche danger and commenting on changing conditions in the valley due to the associated heavy snowfall. As both parties arrived at the base a few minutes later, they discussed the avalanche danger. As this discussion took place, all six people were struck by an avalanche from the overhead slope. None had any avalanche safety equipment.

Most members of the two separate parties had already put their helmets on during the discussion about the increasing avalanche danger. As a result, their backpacks were off when the avalanche occurred, and what gear they had was scattered across the slope. The slide was 40m wide and ran for 250m. We were unable to get a fracture depth or failure plane, but suspected it to be the October rain crust located just above the ground.

Of the six people hit, two remained on the surface, two were partial burials with their heads above the surface, and two were buried face down. The first person buried face down was able to self-extricate and clear their own airway, but the second was located 100m downslope with only part of a boot sticking out. This person was dug out using hands, helmets and a few ice tools that the two parties still had with them. The victim was unresponsive and the group initiated artificial respirations/CPR and pressed the emergency notification on their personal locator beacon. The victim recovered a few minutes later and amazingly was able to walk out on their own a short while later. No one in the group suffered any major injuries.

I spoke to one of the members of the group back at the trailhead later that morning. They told me that when they first left the parking lot, the terrain around them and the route was mainly gravel or bare rock with some patches of snow. They recognized as they headed up towards the route that the avalanche danger was increasing, but failed to recognize just how quickly it was changing. The contributing factors in the accident were likely this failure to adapt to the new information as it came in combined, with high levels of motivation for that first day out climbing.

Another interesting point is that all people involved were wearing their helmets during the slide, and a few of those helmets suffered damage during the event from striking rocks and other debris. Helmets perhaps minimized the extent of injuries suffered.

During follow-up conversations with two parties, they recognized that were pretty fortunate to sustain only minor bumps and bruises for injuries. They lost lots of gear on the slope, and learned lessons from the near miss. While I did not ask if they would carry avalanche gear on their next outing, I kind of assumed it. One person decided abstinence from ice climbing was an even better approach, which made me chuckle.

Using companion rescue gear while ice climbing is becoming more of a norm these days, as it is advocated by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and different guiding companies. If all six people involved had avalanche safety gear at the time of the avalanche, the outcome would not have been that different, as everyone was visible from the surface—luckily. However, having a shovel or shovels would have made the rescue faster and more efficient. Having said that, if the debris had buried the exposed boot just a few centimetres deeper under the surface, there is a good chance that this accident may have resulted in a fatality.

There are lots of good options for lightweight shovels and probes that can be taken ice climbing these days. For me, when the skiing get so bad that I have to go ice climbing, my gear will be with me in my pack.