Wednesday March 16, 2016 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST INCLUDED
Face to Face Sculptor Luke Stalker-Switzer works on his largest piece to date during the gallery opening of Meikle Studios on Friday, March 11. It has taken two years and three rebuilds for StalkerSwitzer to reach this point of the sculpture.
EVAN BUHLER/OBSERVER
Celista snowmobiler killed in avalanche
Search effort: Aerial assessment needed before searchers could access mountain recreation area.
By Barb Brouwer OBSERVER STAFF
An avalanche has taken the life of a yet another snowmobiler – the second in one week. Chase RCMP have confirmed a 38-year-old male sledder from Celista died as a result of an avalanche in the Crowfoot Mountain recreational area on Sunday, March 13. At around 11:30 a.m. Sunday, police received a report of an overdue snowmobiler possibly being involved in an avalanche, says RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. The Shuswap Search and Rescue (SAR) team was immediately activated at the time of the report. SAR manager John Schut says his
team was called out at about 11:45 and had concerns about getting two of the members with AVI 1 initial avalanche training out to the area quickly to make sure it was safe for others to head into the area. “We did our best to get a helicopter as soon as possible but we had some trouble getting one,” Schut says, noting an AVI 3 (highest trained) avalanche technician from Golden happened to be heading east through Salmon Arm, saw the Shuswap trucks and phoned to ask if he could join the search. The three avalanche technicians were flown over the Crowfoot Mountain area to assess the scene and deemed it safe to land. “About that time, the subject was
This week Action team works to provide services for youth with mental health issues. See A8 for more. Matt Andersen, one of Canada’s hottest blues acts, will close Roots & Blues. See A16.
found, just before 1 p.m., and the subject was deceased,” says Schut sadly, noting the funeral for the sledder who died in an avalanche near Owl’s Head last week was taking place at the same time. “The weather was deteriorating and, under the direction of the coroner, the body was retrieved via the helicopter,” he says. “They landed above the scene and two of the technicians skied down to get the body and skied back to the helicopter.” The body was turned over to the Coroner’s Office in the parking lot of the Crowfoot Snowmobile Club. Schut says the deceased sledder See Conditions on page A2
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Air support: An RCMP helicopter carrying three avalanche technicians prepares to land.
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Time Out..................... A9 Sports................A13-A15 Arts & Events ... A16-A18 Vol. 109, No.11, 40 pages