Alberta man named victim of B.C. avalanche

REVELSTOKE, B.C. – (Update) An Alberta man killed when 100-tons of snow slid down during an avalanche near Eagle Mountain has been identified.

Edward Kenneth Sage, 42, from Hussar, was killed on Feb. 14 while bob sledding with seven other friends who were in an area where authorities had listed an avalance rik as considerable.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre had placed the risk as “considerable” for that area.

“A party of eight had been sledding in the eagle pass area when the snow let go, burying the 42-year-old from Hussar, Alberta. By the time his friends were able to locate and dig him out, he had succumbed to his injuries,” said an earlier police statement.

Police and coroner’s office are investigating.

Cpl. Rod Wiebe said all members of the group were from Alberta. He said the area where they were sledding was considered to be at risk for avalanches triggered by human activity.

Wiebe said the group was equipped with safety gear but it took the burried man’s friends more than an hour to find him and then extricate him. By that time it was too late.

The avalanche was sized at category 2 – 100 tons of snow with dimensions around 100-metres.

Several B.C. locations are posted as high risk places for avalanches.

The Revelstoke RCMP are urging back country enthusiasts to exercise extreme caution during their outtings and always be aware of the avalanche conditions by visiting www.avalanche.ca

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Posted by News Editor on Feb 16 2010. Filed under B.C.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry