British Columbia’s public safety minister has issued a statement about the risks of using the backcountry. Photo courtesy of CBC.
British Columbia’s public safety minister has issued a statement reminding people about the risks of using the backcountry after a Nanaimo man died in treacherous snow conditions.
Mike Farnworth said it is critical that outdoor enthusiasts make safety a top priority before they take to the wilderness.
He added that over the Family Day long weekend, search and rescue teams responded to 28 incidents throughout the provinces. Climbers, snowshoers, snowmobilers and a skier were rescued.
Farnworth is urging people to look at weather warnings issued by Avalanche Canada, which says slides will remain “very likely” in the northwest coastal region of the province after a storm on Tuesday.
Fifty-two-year-old Karl Baker from Nanaimo died in the Mt. Callaghan area on Saturday after a cornice collapsed from under his snowmobile, sending him and his vehicle plunging 75 metres.
Another person was injured and airlifted to a hospital in Calgary on Saturday after a slide near Golden, B.C.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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