Historical Incidents

Incident Summary

Date
2020-12-28
Location
Railroad Pass
Location Description
Above Hurley FSR approx 1km SE of Railroad Pass, 20km NNW of Pemberton
Province
BC
Coordinates
50.59447 °, -123.00861 °
Elevation
1650 m
Activity
Snow Biking
Involvement
2
Injury
0
Fatality
2
Description
A party of four were riding snow bikes near Railroad Pass. Two riders went ahead and were caught in an avalanche, which was not observed by the others. The avalanche occurred on a relatively small slope in an open glade at treeline elevation with an incline of about 35 degrees. The avalanche was approximately 150 m wide by 150 m long. The survivors and other users in the area noticed an avalanche crown with signs of human involvement and the party was reported missing late on December 28, but darkness prevented SAR operations that day. The following morning, RCMP and SAR teams using transceivers and rescue dogs located the two subjects buried about 50-100 cm below the surface in a terrain trap.

Avalanches

Date/TimeSizeTypeTriggerElevationAspectSlab widthSlab Thickness
2.0SMa1650 mW150 m70 cm

Weather

Present TempMax TempMin Temp24hr TrendWind SpeedWind DirectionSky ConditionPrecipitation Type & Intensity
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Snowpack

Snowpack24hr SnowStorm SnowStorm Date
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Snowpack Comment: Snowpack investigation at the site of the avalanche showed no result with a compression test. There was an indistinct, rounding layer of surface hoar at the level of the bed surface.

Documents

Document DateTitleSource
2020-12-29Fracture linePemSARview
2020-12-29PathPemSARview
2020-12-29RCMP ReleaseRCMPview
2020-12-29Path 2PemSARview
2020-12-29Path 4PemSARview
2020-12-29Path 3PemSARview