Geoff Empey

This is Jennifer Coulter's area so we know her and Farley are onsite. Stay safe out there Jenn!

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...avalanche.html

Search for 8 missing snowmobilers to begin in Fernie avalanche zone
Fatalities feared after 2 avalanches trap 11 in the backcountry

CBC News
Rescuers in Fernie, B.C., will begin searching for eight missing snowmobilers at first light on Monday.

Eleven snowmobilers became trapped on Sunday in two avalanches that struck at Harvey Creek Pass, about 30 kilometres east of Fernie, B.C. Fernie is about 300 kilometres southwest of Calgary.

The search and rescue attempts on Sunday were called off as it grew dark and over concern another avalanche might come down on the rescuers, officials said.

Police are not yet calling Monday's mission a recovery effort. But Jennifer Henkes, a spokeswoman for the Interior Health Authority, said the authority has been informed there are fatalities, but has not been told how many to expect.

The search and rescue team and the RCMP are expected to be on the remote scene of the avalanches to try to find the missing snowmobilers on Monday.

The rescue team will bomb the area to bring down any loose snow before entering the region.

Police will use dogs trained to search for people trapped by avalanches.

RCMP Sgt. Tim Shields said authorities were preparing for the worst.

"We know that the more time that goes by, we have to be realistic [in] that we know what happens in these type of situations," Shields said in an interview. "But we have hope."

Tragic situation

In a statement issued late Sunday, the RCMP gave this sequence of events:

The first avalanche caught part of a group of seven snowmobilers in the Harvey Pass area, a popular back-country snowmobile destination about 40 kilometres south of Fernie.
A second group of four riders heard their cries and came to help members of the first group dig out their fellow riders.
They located one rider, but as they were digging him out at a depth of about three metres, a second avalanche buried the entire group, all of whom were wearing avalanche beacons.
Two of the buried riders managed to rescue themselves in about 20 minutes and then used their avalanche beacons to locate a third buried rider, whom they rescued after another 20 minutes of digging.
The three survivors assessed their surroundings in a large bowl with massive cornices ready to come down. Based on the risk of a third avalanche, they began walking out.
The RCMP statement, which described the situation as a tragedy, said all 11 riders involved are males from the nearby town of Sparwood. It did not give their names or ages.

Paul Kramer, president of the Fernie Snowmobilers Association, told the Globe and Mail the eight victims were avid snowmobilers. He said some of the missing were young men with families.

A helicopter sent to the scene picked up two of the three known survivors, while Fernie search and rescue personnel rescued the third, the statement said. All three sustained minor injuries and were taken to the Elk Valley Hospital. Two were discharged and the third was kept overnight but is reportedly in stable condition.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre, based in Revelstoke, said there were reports of avalanches in the area all day and warned people to stay out of the area for the next several days.

"There was significant new snowfall [Saturday] night and then a warming period into [Sunday]," said James Floyer, an avalanche forecaster with the centre. "That combination basically overloaded the snowpack and resulted in a significant number of slides, and those slides were running into the very weak pre-existing snowpack."

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