An avalanche near Chetwynd has claimed the life of a snowmobiler, according to Avalanche Canada.
On Saturday, January 27, a snowmobiler was caught buried in an avalanche in the Hasler riding area, west of Chetwynd. The rider was located and extracted by snowmobilers at the scene, but did not survive.
Avalanche happened in a chute feature at treeline elevation. The east-facing start zone was reported to be wind-loaded. It is suspected to have failed on a layer of facets that formed earlier in January. The avalanche ran for approximately 250m.
This was the first avalanche-related death in British Columbia this year.
Avalanche Canada says dangerous avalanche conditions exist across almost all forecast regions, as the warm, windy weather continues to destabilize the snowpack.
