Three snowmobilers were riding in the Forster Creek drainage area Sunday, when one rider triggered an avalanche on a steep, rocky, slope.
One snowmobiler is dead after an avalanche came down near Invermere Sunday.
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Avalanche Canada says the group of three snowmobilers were riding in an area below Thunderwater Lake in the Forster Creek drainage.
One rider triggered an avalanche on a steep, rocky, northeast facing, wind-affected slope and was buried. The rider’s companions carried out a rescue with assistance from other riders in the area, but the man did not survive.
Avalanche Canada says the avalanche was about 40 metres wide, with a depth of 50 to 60 centimetres and a run length of 300 metres.
Avalanche Canada classified the slide as a size 2.5, on a five-point scale.
Earlier this week, Avalanche Canada warned of an increased avalanche risk in parts of the province. The agency raised the danger level to high — the fourth highest risk category on a scale of five — for much of the mountainous terrain to the north and east of Metro Vancouver.
The warning says that natural avalanches are “likely” while human-triggered slides are “very likely,” as the new snow from recent storms is showing poor bonding to underlying weak layers.
High avalanche danger levels have also been placed on parts of Vancouver Island, the West Kootenay region and parts of the North Coast from Kitimat to Terrace.