Avalanche Catches Two Skiers In Grand Daddy Couloir On Bow Peak In Banff National Park During LOW Danger
At 1:30 PM on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, experienced backcountry skiers Josh Forster of Canmore and Chris Giddens of Calgary were caught in an avalanche in the Grand Daddy Couloir on Bow Peak in Banff National Park. The avalanche was size 1.5 and occurred during LOW avalanche danger according to Parks Canada. It is unknown whether the avalanche was human triggered or natural.
See a photo from Parks Canada of the avalanche path on the Calgary Herald.
The two skiers were downclimbing the couloir after assessing the avalanche conditions. The avalanche occurred when they were about 3/4 of the way up the Grand Daddy Couloir. There was another party of two backcountry skiers in the area at the time, but they managed to avoid being caught.
Forster and Giddens were both caught in the slide and went for one wild ride. They managed to avoid any rocks, but tomahawked through the couloir and on to the apron. Overall the slide took them about 300 meters.
When they stopped, Forster had lost his skis and his pack, but was injury free. Giddens had an injured knee. The duo was prepared for such an incident. They created a knee splint with ice axes and attempted to self rescue. Due to the injury, the cold, and time of day, the backcountry skiers decided to activate their SPOT GPS satellite messenger and call for help. Parks Canada and other emergency services responded and carried both individuals were transported back to the the trailhead by helicopter.
Forster and Giddens are both lucky to be alive after being caught in an avalanche. The other party in the area was also lucky. Please be careful out there.
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