High-marking may have started slide
Daredevil snowmobilers likely started avalanche, officials say
REVELSTOKE, B.C. – An avalanche that killed two people at an informal snowmobile rally in Canada’s Rocky Mountains may have been triggered by three daredevil sledders who apparently unleashed a deadly wall of snow on up to 200 people below, witnesses said Sunday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said an even worse tragedy may have been averted because many of the snowmobilers were equipped with avalanche recovery equipment and dug people out even before rescuers arrived at the scene.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told a news conference Sunday that two men are confirmed dead, not three as reported earlier in the chaotic hours after the slide. Moskaluk later said the search is over. He said they have searched for abandoned vehicles and canvassed area hotels and there is nobody that they know of left unaccounted for. The slide struck around 3:30 p.m. Saturday on Boulder Mountain.
Moskaluk said they believe the slide was triggered by a stunt known as high-marking – a contest to see who can race up a slope and leave the highest mark. But he declined to say whether the riders responsible have been identified, or whether they were among the dead. Nor would he say whether they could face charges.
He said 30 people were injured, including one person in critical condition and three others in serious condition who were taken to regional hospitals. Nineteen people were treated and released at the local hospital.
Despite avalanche warnings, about 200 people had gathered on the mountain for the Big Iron Shoot Out, an annual unsanctioned event known for its party atmosphere and stunt riding that has become popular among people who enjoy snowmobiling in the deep snow of backcountry British Columbia.
Two men who witnessed the avalanche said it hit so many people in part because a crowd had stopped at the bottom of the mountain to watch three snowmobilers perform high-marking.
Steve Langevin, 38, said he thought the crowd was safe from “those crazy guys” because the snowmobilers seemed like they were miles away, but the wave of snow was so massive it easily reached them.
His friend, Pierre Beaudoin, 48, said he thought the accident could have been prevented if people hadn’t been irresponsibly high-marking in avalanche-prone conditions.