A skier in Banff National Park came frighteningly close to disaster this week, yet walked away without a scratch. Parks Canada says the backcountry skier triggered a "Size 2" avalanche—one massive enough to "bury, injure, or kill a person," per Avalanche Canada—on Tuesday on the Vortex run, just outside the Lake Louise Ski Area boundary, per the CBC. The incident, caught on video and released by Parks Canada as a warning, buried the skier up to their waist and carried them downslope but didn't fully cover them. Powder notes that the skier did lose both their skis.
Forecasters say this was a "deep persistent slab" avalanche—one of the most difficult kinds for backcountry users to spot, per the CBC. In that scenario, a heavy layer of snow rests on a weaker layer near the ground. When the weak layer finally fails, a large portion of the season's snowpack can move at once. "There's no amount of training professionally or recreationally that turns that uncertainty to zero," Avalanche Canada forecaster Tyson Rettie says, adding that, unlike other avalanche types, deep slabs often give no obvious signals like cracking or hollow sounds. "The first bit of feedback that you get that a problem exists could be a large avalanche," he notes.
Guide Barry Blanchard, who reviewed the video, tells the CBC that the slide stripped the slope down to bare rock. "You couldn't have made a bigger avalanche there. It took the whole snowpack," he says. He notes that rocks were visible around the skier as they were carried downhill: "They're very fortunate that they didn't have any traumatic injury from hitting rocks." He adds that partial burial was another stroke of luck, as roughly half of avalanche fatalities are from asphyxiation in full burials.
Parks Canada said the skiing group involved was "experienced, well-equipped, descended one at a time, and had a safe regroup location." Avalanche danger in the Banff and Kananaskis alpine region is currently rated moderate, but Rettie says that rating is largely driven by the risk of triggering deep slabs. Most at risk are areas with variable snow depth, such as near rocks and thin spots. Officials urge anyone traveling in avalanche terrain to carry a transceiver, probe, and shovel, and to check the daily avalanche forecast before heading out; Powder also notes that backcountry skiers should ski with a partner. "Accidents can happen, and you need to be prepared," Rettie tells the CBC.
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