According to Vail Resorts, the company owned by Whistler Blackcomb, the “ski incident” took place on Whistler Mountain in the West Ridge area and involved members of the ski patrol.
“We can confirm that an avalanche of size 1 is involved within the limits – an investigation is ongoing,” a Vail spokesman said in an email.
CBC contacted Whistler RCMP for more details.
The West Ridge Trail is located above a steep cliff that separates the lower parts of the Whistler Bowl and the West Bowl. It is accessible from the Peak Express chair and has been marked black diamond.
A long line of people was seen waiting for the elevator to open on Tuesday morning, due to a storm the previous day that delivered a huge dump of fresh dust in the area.
Tourists at the base of Whistler Mountain in March 2020. The fatal avalanche occurred in the West Ridge area of the mountain. (Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press)
Avalanches are graded according to their destructive potential on a scale of one to five, with a size of 1 to the smallest, which usually covers 10 to 30 meters in length with a volume of material of about 100 cubic meters.
Avalanche Canada recorded the avalanche risk in the Sea to Sky area as “significant” on Tuesday in tree and alpine areas. The current score for Thursday and Friday is high.
The name of the man who died has not been released.
