Off-duty police officer killed in avalanche near Kaslo, B.C., another injured

By The Canadian Press on January 10, 2023.

NELSON, B.C. – An off-duty police officer has died in an avalanche in southeastern British Columbia, less than a week after Avalanche Canada warned the snowpack across much of Western Canada was “weak,” “scary” and “spooky.”

“Some professionals are comparing this snowpack to 2003, which was one of the worst years on record for avalanche fatalities,” Avalanche Canada said in a post on its website.

A post on the City of Nelson Facebook page on Monday said one of its officers had been killed in an avalanche near Kaslo, B.C., and another officer was critically injured. Neither were working at the time.

The Nelson Police Board said the two were on snowmobiles about 70 kilometres north of the city when they were engulfed.

No further details were immediately available, but the Nelson Facebook post said more information would be released in the coming days.

The Avalanche Canada website rated the avalanche risk at a three on its five-point scale, meaning the danger was “considerable.”

“Periods of drought and cold weather … created numerous problematic layers in the snowpack,” the website said, generating conditions “seen once every ten to twenty years.” It called the snowpack “spooky” for much of Western Canada.

“The setup of the snowpack varies across the provinces but there is a similar theme for most areas – riders have triggered large, scary avalanches with high consequences,” said Avalanche Canada.

The website said a size 2.5 avalanche had been triggered by humans on a slope near Kaslo on Monday.

Avalanche sizes are classified in a five-point rating that measures destructive potential. A slide with a rating of two is large enough to bury, injure or kill a person, while an avalanche ranked at three can bury a car, destroy a small building or break trees, the Avalanche Canada site said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a message of support to the surviving officer and to family, friends and colleagues of both officers, saying he was “incredibly saddened” to hear the news and wishing the survivor a “fast and full recovery.”

Trudeau’s youngest brother, Michel, was just 23 years old when he died in an avalanche in B.C., in 1998.

Vancouver Police Department Chief Adam Palmer also sent his support, tweeting “our thoughts at VPD are with the officers’ families and our brothers and sisters.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2023.

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