1 Backcountry Skier and 1 Snowboarder Caught In Size 3 Avalanche On Bruins Ridge Near Rogers Pass In British Columbia
At around 2:35 PM on Sunday, November 8, 2015 one skier and one snowboarder were caught in a size 3 avalanche on the upper part of Bruins Ridge in Glacier National Park.
According to the Calgary Herald, the avalanche “started when the snowboarder was already partway down the slope and the skier was starting out.” Both parties had minor injuries, but survived. The snowboarder was buried with only his hand exposed and was able to dig himself out. The skier was caught near the fracture and remained on the surface of the slide.
It is estimated that they went for a “150- to 200-metre ride.” The duo were assisted by another party of five that included certified ski guides from Revelstoke. That party called the incident in to Parks Canada and subsequently it was shared on the Mountain Information Network. Avalanche.ca says that the avalanche was a size 3. It was “estimate at 500 meters wide, 900 meters long, 50-100 centimeters deep.” It failed on a facet crust combo near the ground.
Glacier National Park has released several intermittent avalanche forecasts, but only started daily avalanche forecasts on Monday, November 9. Find the latest GNP avalanche forecast here. Avalanche Canada will begin daily forecasts for other regions on November 20.
The incident was added to Avalanche Canada’s Mountain Information Network – a new tool that adds avalanche and snow information in a real time format. The fully functional app will allow anyone to file condition reports and incident reports from anywhere. This is a fantastic way to share backcountry information. Read more on the Revelstoke Mountaineer.
Bruins Pass is located on the north side of Highway 1 on Rogers Pass. It is north west of Balu Pass.
Let this be an early season reminder to watch the snowpack and to turn your avalanche radar on. If there’s enough snow to ski, there’s enough snow to avalanche. Remember to ski slopes one at a time and always use safe zones. Be safe out there.
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