from Mt athabasca Thursday night. Investigation led to observing a rope
leading into a large crevasse filled with avalanche debris. Poor weather,
bad flying conditions, and loss of daylight forced rescue team to revisit
the site this morning (Friday). Located two individuals buried 1.5-2m in
the bottom of the crevasse by mid-morning. On-site investigation revealed
the crown was 40-80cm thick, ~150m wide and ~300m long, size 2.5. The
avalanche occurred sometime between 0930hrs to 1400hrs. The area was
unobserveable for this period. The condition was new snow on old frozen old
snow. See attached picture for exact location of incident. This SAR
response can be attributed to a guided party who had observed the climbers
earlier in the day going along the ramp, then noting that an avalanche had
occurred sometime during the day, and following up with a visit to the
information center staff to report his observations. We appreciate this
type of commitment by the mountain community to take the time to report
conditions and observations to Parks staff at the Icefields center. Tx all.
Also noted this a.m. a size ~3 icefall to the left of the ramp off the nose
of the silverhorn.
With the fresh snow this week, winds, and improving temperatures this
weekend, parties should be observant for potential slab conditions along
their route selections.
be safe.
(See attached file: slide on athabasca aug 28 002.jpg)
Garth Lemke
Public Safety Warden
ACMG Assistant Ski Guide
Garde de parc, Sécurité publique
Guide de ski auxiliaire, Association des guides de montagne canadiens
Jasper National Park of Canada | Parc national du Canada Jasper
Parks Canada | Parcs Canada
P.O. Box 10, Jasper AB T0E 1E0 | C.P. 10, Jasper (Alberta) T0E 1E0
Garth.Lemke@pc.gc.ca
Telephone | Téléphone 780-852-6158
Facsimile | Télécopieur 780-852-6135
Cellular Phone | Téléphone cellulaire 780-852-8811
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
www.pc.gc.ca/jasper
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