By Shannon Montgomery, The Canadian Press
FERNIE, B.C. - It began as a holiday weekend snowmobile ride for 11 men - good friends who went to school together, worked side by side in the coal mines that are the lifeblood of their community, and in some cases were blood relatives.
In a matter of minutes, disaster struck. An avalanche buried seven of the men. Four others heard their cries and rushed to the scene, only to themselves be swept under a second avalanche as they frantically tried to rescue their friends.
On Monday, after a massive search effort that was hampered by the prospect of more avalanches and rough terrain, rescuers made the grim discovery of seven bodies buried in snow. One man was still missing but presumed dead more than 24 hours after the wall of snow came tumbling down.
Three of the 11 were able to dig themselves out and walk to safety Sunday after making the anguished decision to leave family members and friends trapped rather than risk a third onslaught from the unstable slopes.
It took the survivors 20 minutes to free themselves after the second slide hit. The three had only minor physical injuries, and were released after being treated at the local hospital in Fernie, a short drive from the site of the avalanches.
The memories will be difficult for the survivors to shake, said David Wilks, mayor of Sparwood, the small coal mining community north of Fernie where all 11 men lived and worked.
"They're very distraught that they weren't able to stay and try and find or help their buddies, but . . . one of them was injured and they felt there was an imminent risk of another avalanche coming down," he said.
"They had lost their gloves, they had lost everything so they were starting to dig by hand."
Rescuers who rushed to the steep, rocky, bowl-like area found snowmobiles scattered like tossed toys - a ski here and a seat there sticking out above the snow.
The bodies lay further beneath the hard-packed surface. The deepest was found under 3.5 metres of snow, the others about a metre beneath the surface, said Chris Thomas, president of Fernie Search and Rescue.
They were spread out over about 120 metres, said Thomas. Three were located almost immediately because they were wearing a special avalanche transceiver that sends out an electronic signal.
"The other four were found by probe strikes - their transceivers were not on or they were, likely, in receive mode as opposed to transmit mode because they were looking for additional people."
One of those who walked free told Wilks that the wall of snow caught them by surprise.
"They were at the base of the hill, they had done some snowmobiling in the area. They weren't sledding at the time. They were just sitting at the bottom of the hill," he said.
"It appears a cornice let loose - an overhang on the top of the mountain - and buried them."
As darkness and snow fell in the region 300 kilometres southwest of Calgary, search efforts were called off for the day. Thomas said search-and-rescue officials would monitor the snowfall overnight and decide whether it was safe Tuesday morning to go up after the one victim still left behind.
At a candlelight vigil for the dead and missing Monday evening in Sparwood, Wilks said the men were "good guys" who were out doing what they loved when they died. Wilks read the first names of each man involved, including the three survivors.
Police had not released the men's names as of Monday night.
Avalanches are a well-known danger to anyone who lives and works among the snowy peaks that ring the area known as Elk Valley.
Safety courses are offered frequently and weather warnings posted religiously. Many coal miners who work the mountainside mines are trained in avalanche safety, and the popular Fernie Alpine Resort often has to bomb hills to release heavy heaps of snow that would otherwise make runs unsafe.
A similar bombing exercise had to take place near the avalanche site on Monday to make conditions safe enough for rescuers to get to the scene.
Cindy Corrigan, mayor of Fernie, said the men should not have attempted to snowmobile in the area on Sunday. The Canadian Avalanche Centre had issued an advisory that day warning of dangerous conditions and the strong possibility of natural and human-triggered avalanches.
"The conditions that we've got in the last few days are so severe that it's a shame they decided to go into the backcountry," Corrigan said.
"You would just hope that people listen, but everyone has their own mind and their own will and they'll do as they please. That's a shame because this type of weather and this type of snow - everyone knows it's just a bad combination."
Searchers had to struggle through difficult terrain to retrieve the men's bodies. Some of the volunteers from the close-knit communities could have known the men or their families, said RCMP Cpl. Chris Faulkner.
"They go up there with shovels," said Faulkner. "It's tough even manoeuvring in that type of snow. The terrain is not stable to begin with. Walking is hard."
Thomas, who said he did not know any of the men involved, became emotional when asked what it was like to pull bodies from the snow.
"I think the initial victim that I saw was a little difficult," he said, his voice wavering.
Immediate families of most of the eight men were "congregated together supporting each other," Faulkner said.
"I believe they all expect the worst in a situation like this."
The streets of Sparwood, a town of about 4,000 people, were eerily quiet as residents awaited word about the missing and coped with news of the dead.
"It's been a sombre mood, for anyone driving around town, you'll see that there's not a lot of movement," said Wilks. "This community is going to reel from this."
The mayor said he knew all eight men personally, describing them as "skilled outdoorsmen that were well-liked in the community."
Many had families, said Wilks, including two whose wives gave birth to their first children just a few months ago.
"They were all great guys for the community, they worked hard, they enjoyed the back country - they just enjoyed that type of lifestyle," he said.
The few people seen strolling along Sparwood's empty, snow-covered streets said they knew at least some of the men.
Chuck Meadows, a 27-year-old who drives trucks at a local coal mine, said he worked with most of the men.
"It's pretty devastating - just trying to find out what happened, it's all you can do," Meadows said. "Really fun guys to be around. It's pretty sad to see, with newly started families."
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I hope the three brave ones know they did the right thing.
