Big Iron Shootout, Revelstoke AVALANCHE NEWS from the press services

[christopher]

Several snowmobilers killed in B.C. avalanche

Last Updated: Saturday, March 13, 2010 | 6:40 PM PT Comments6Recommend68

CBC News

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/13/bc-revelstoke-avalanche.html


Several people have been killed, dozens are injured and many more could be trapped in an avalanche on a mountain in southeastern B.C.
Revelstoke, B.C.

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Hundreds of people watching and participating in the Big Iron Shootout, an annual snowmobiling event on Boulder Mountain, near Revelstoke, were caught in the slide.
Reports indicate the avalanche struck at approximately 3 p.m. local time Saturday.


One official told CBC News three people are dead, two others are in critical condition and more than a dozen others were injured in the slide. It is not clear how many more people are missing.


The mountain has been shut down and a massive rescue operation is underway. Search-and-rescue helicopters and avalanche dogs are working to recover the injured.
According to the Canadian Avalanche Centre, there have been 10 avalanches in the area since Friday, when the CAC issued an extreme avalanche warning for the area. It advised people to stay away from any defined avalanche terrain and steep slopes.


On Feb. 15, an Alberta man was killed in an avalanche while snowmobiling on Eagle Mountain near Revelstoke. Another Alberta man died in an avalanche while skiing near Rossland, B.C., in early January.


Revelstoke is approximately 300 kilometres west of Calgary, and about 400 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.


<cite class="source">With files from The Canadian Press</cite>

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-co...13/bc-revelstoke-avalanche.html#ixzz0i7LDCZc3
​

 

[christopher]

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...avalanche_warning_100313/20100313?hub=Calgary

Snowmobilers missing after avalanche near Revelstoke

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Avalanche experts say this is a dangerous time of year as the temperatures and conditions change quickly.



Updated: Sat Mar. 13 2010 19:01:28

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An avalanche has happened near Revelstoke, B.C.
Details are just coming in, but CTV News has been able to confirm that snowmobilers were caught in it.
No word yet on how many people are involved, but as many as 10 snowmobilers may have been caught in the avalanche.



This happens on a weekend when the Canadian Avalanche Centre has issued a special warning.
Parts of B.C. received a lot of snow this week.
The new snow is overloading weak layers in the upper snowpack.



Officials say they've had a lot of close calls with avalanches and they have been warning people to stay away from the backcountry.



We'll continue gathering details and will have more information as it becomes available.

 

[christopher]

http://www.inews880.com/News/National/Article.aspx/Article.aspx?id=195705

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Avalanche kills one, injures 12 on B.C. mountain
THE CANADIAN PRESS

REVELSTOKE, B.C. - A large-scale search and rescue operation was underway in southwestern B.C. Saturday night after an avalanche killed at least one person and injured 12.

RCMP said they didn't know how many more people may be hurt or missing.

Some 200 people were attending the annual Big Iron Shootout on Boulder Mountain, near Revelstoke, when the slide occurred Saturday afternoon.

"The area has been shut down to keep people out," said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. "They're going to continue on here with trying to remove people off the mountain in the area and tomorrow reassess where we're at."

Moskaluk said police don't yet have details about the person who was killed or the extent of people's injuries.
Search and rescue teams, including helicopters and avalanche rescue dogs were working to recover those caught in the slide.

"You've got a variety of emergency assets, everything ranging from your Revelstoke search and rescue to provincial emergency programs," Moskaluk said.

"There's air assets in the form of helicopters ... RCMP police dogs, services dogs, avalanche trained dogs, a variety of machines and people, essentially it's a large scale rescue that's being coordinated."
Content Provided By Canadian Press.

</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[christopher]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...13/Search_BC_100313/20100313?hub=TopStoriesV2

At least 3 dead, 15 injured after B.C. avalanche

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According to the Canadian Avalance Centre, an avalanche occured on Boulder Mountain just outside of Revelstoke, B.C., and there were people involved in it.
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The mountainous terrain near Revelstoke, B.C. is shown in this file image. (CP / Adrian Wyld)

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CTV.ca News Staff
Date: Sat. Mar. 13 2010 10:08 PM ET


At least three people are dead and 17 others are injured following an avalanche in the interior of British Columbia.
Among the injured, two are in critical condition, CTV News reports. Several others are still missing and a massive search operation is underway.


The avalanche occurred near Revelstoke, which is in the province's rugged interior, about 200 kilometres northeast of Kelowna.


The slide occurred as about 200 people were taking part in a large snowmobile gathering on Boulder Mountain on Saturday afternoon.


Helicopters and search dogs are currently scouring the area and the mountain has been shut down.
The snowmobiling event is known as the Big Iron Shootout.


CTV camera operator Rod Romano arrived at the avalanche scene about three minutes after the slide occurred around 3 p.m. local time.


"When I arrived there was a flurry of activity" he told CTV News.


"People were digging furiously."


He added that two people were recovered within about 12 minutes of searching.


However, he said that the avalanche was massive, and snowmobiles that were caught in the slide were carried hundreds of metres downhill.


"The debris field was extremely large," he said.


Greg Johnson from the Canadian Avalanche Centre told CTV News Channel Saturday night that the area was hit by heavy snow on Thursday and Friday, which greatly increased the danger of a slide.


"That created a substantial avalanche risk," he said.
Johnson declined to give specifics about the avalanche rescue operation, but he did say that "there is definitely a rescue underway."


The area has been hit with several avalanches in recent days.


"The Canadian Avalanche Centre is issuing a special avalanche warning for the southern Selkirk and Monashee Mountains, the Kootenay-Boundary area, and the Southern Chilcotin Mountains," states a special warning on the Centre's website.


"We've had a lot of close calls recently and, although this new snow will be tempting, the avalanche conditions in these areas will be very dangerous."
With files from The Canadian Press

 

[christopher]

National

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/national/2010/03/13/13221236.html



One dead in B.C. avalanche

+
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One person is dead and more than a dozen injured after an avalanche in Revelstoke, B.C. (MIKE DREW/QMI Agency file photo)


</td></tr></tbody></table> By DAVE DORMER, QMI Agency
At least one killed and more than a dozen injured when an avalanche swept down Boulder Mountain near Revelstoke, B.C., on Saturday during an annual snowmobiling event.


Hundreds of people from B.C., Alberta and Washington State were watching the Big Iron Shootout — about 400 km west of Calgary — when the slide struck about 3 p.m.
A large scale rescue operation was launched involving police, search and rescue crews and paramedics from around the region.


“B.C. Ambulance has what we call critical care paramedics who deal with trauma patients and a number of them are enroute to the scene,” said spokeswoman Kristy Hillen.


“The area has been shut down to keep people out,” said RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. “They’re going to continue on here with trying to remove people off the mountain in the area and tomorrow reassess where we’re at.”


"There’s air assets in the form of helicopters ... RCMP police dogs, services dogs, avalanche trained dogs, a variety of machines and people, essentially it’s a large scale rescue that’s being coordinated," Moskaluk added.
— With files from The Canadian Press

 

[christopher]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35856395/ns/world_news-americas/

Avalanche kills at least 3; others missing

200 people were at snowmobiling event at British Columbia mountain



msnbc.com
updated 5 minutes ago

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At least three people were killed, 17 hurt and an undetermined number are missing after an avalanche hit a snowmobiling event in British Columbia Saturday afternoon, authorities said.


Cpl. Dan Moskaluk with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the CTV News Channel that roughly 200 people were on Boulder Mountain, just west of Revelstoke, attending the Big Iron Shootout snowmobile event when the avalanche hit.



"It's a large-scale, rescue recovery incident," he said. "We don't have a count at this point in time of the people missing."



mergency crews searched for survivors as officials cleared people off the mountain.

Moskaluk said the search would continue until nightfall, and then be reassessed Sunday morning.


Rod Romano, a CTV cameraman who arrived at the scene a few minutes after the slide, said "people were digging furiously."



Two people were recovered within about 12 minutes, he said, but the avalanche was massive and snowmobiles were carried hundreds of yards downhill. "The debris field was extremely large," he said.



Revelstoke Mayor David Raven said the Big Iron Shootout is an unorganized event "that's been a problem for years."


Greg Johnson from the Canadian Avalanche Centre told CTV that the area was hit by heavy snow on Thursday and Friday, greatly increasing the danger of a slide. "That created a substantial avalanche risk," he said.
The center had said the area had seen 10 avalanches since Friday, and even issued an extreme avalanche warning, urging people to stay away from any known avalanche area.



On Feb. 15, an Alberta man was killed in an avalanche while snowmobiling on Eagle Mountain near Revelstoke, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Another Alberta man died in an avalanche while skiing near Rossland, B.C., in early January.

 

[Dam Dave]

At least three people were killed, 17 hurt and an undetermined number are missing after an avalanche hit a snowmobiling event in British Columbia Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the CTV News Channel that roughly 200 people were on Boulder Mountain, just west of Revelstoke, attending the Big Iron Shootout snowmobile event when the avalanche hit.

"It's a large-scale, rescue recovery incident," he said. "We don't have a count at this point in time of the people missing."

Emergency crews searched for survivors as officials cleared people off the mountain.

Moskaluk said the search would continue until nightfall, and then be reassessed Sunday morning.

Rod Romano, a CTV cameraman who arrived at the scene a few minutes after the slide, said "people were digging furiously."

Two people were recovered within about 12 minutes, he said, but the avalanche was massive and snowmobiles were carried hundreds of yards downhill. "The debris field was extremely large," he said.

Revelstoke Mayor David Raven said the Big Iron Shootout is an unorganized event "that's been a problem for years."

Greg Johnson from the Canadian Avalanche Centre told CTV that the area was hit by heavy snow on Thursday and Friday, greatly increasing the danger of a slide. "That created a substantial avalanche risk," he said.

The center had said the area had seen 10 avalanches since Friday, and even issued an extreme avalanche warning, urging people to stay away from any known avalanche area.

 

[christopher]

http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=50&contentId=13828

Revelstoke - RCMP/PEP respond to avalanche on Boulder Mountain

File # 2010-832 Sat Mar 13 18:29:00 PST 2010 At 3:33 pm on Saturday March 13th 2010, the Revelstoke RCMP received reports of an avalanche occurring on Boulder Mountain near Revelstoke, during a snowmobile competition attended by approximately 200 persons in the area. A large scale rescue operation commenced and is continuing.


Revelstoke RCMP have confirmed as of 6:45 pm that one person is deceased, with 12 injured also confirmed. Emergency rescue efforts are continuing.



"We do know that there were approximately 200 people attending an annual snowmobiling event known as "The Big Iron Shoot out", in the Turbo Bowl area on Boulder Mountain. We had a tremendous number of emergency rescue assets deployed from the onset of this tragic incident.


There are currently 4 Provincial Search and Rescue teams deployed; Revelstoke, Golden, Arrow Lakes and Nelson. The RCMP Police Service Avalanche trained canine units along side with other Provincial Emergency assets have been engaged. Revelstoke RCMP continue to coordinate the rescue effort in conjunction with the Provincial Emergency Coordination Center."


The Boulder Mountain area has been closed off to assist with the rescue effort and we request that the general public keep the area and nearby highways clear for the ongoing rescue effort".

Media are requested to disseminate the confirmed above noted information. No further information is known at this time. Cpl Dan Moskaluk is enroute to the area and will provide any update later this evening if further information is known. Media inquiries will be handled from Revelstoke.

Media can send an e-mail request to Cpl Moskaluk to dan.moskaluk@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or by leaving a voice message at 250-863-7433 or 604-264-2929.

Released by:
Cpl. Dan Moskaluk
Media Relations Officer
Cell# 250-863-7433




Released by
Cpl. Dan Moskaluk
Media Relations Officer
South East District and North District
170 -395 Penno Road, Kelowna BC V1X-7W5
Office: (250) 491-2300
Cell: (250) 863-7433
Fax: (250) 491-2381
Email: dan.moskaluk@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bcrcmp
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[Rock Star]

prayers to all our friends in Revy and those on the hill. We are devastated to hear of this and wait to hear from and of those we know and love. praying for al those we don't know also. Lord have some mercy and let the number lost be small as possible. please.

 

[Koby]

God speed & many thanks to all the rescuer's

 

[OnTheEdge]

Hope all goes well. My thoughts and prayers

 

[christopher]

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http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Reports+dead+more+unnaccounted+avalanche+tragedy/2680790/story.html

Vancouver SunMarch 13, 2010 9:59 PM



More Images »


About 200 people were attending an annual snowmobiling event known as 'The Big Iron Shoot out', in the Turbo Bowl area on Boulder Mountain, when the slide occurred.

Photograph by: Staff, Special to the Vancouver Sun




VANCOUVER — RCMP are confirming that one person is dead and are investigating reports that two more have been killed and many more are missing after a massive avalanche struck an event with 200 people in Revelstoke B.C.


Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said that as of 7 p.m. he could confirm that one person had died and that the B.C. Ambulance service had reported that three people were dead in total.


Meanwhile, Revelstoke resident Clayton Berlingette, who operates the Smokey Bear Campground Resort, said he is hearing reports that 20 to 30 people could be unaccounted for.


"The slide was really wide and deep. About 20 to 30 people are still unaccounted for," said Berlingette from the campground.


Berlingette said he had been snowmobiling in the same area himself earlier in the day and "playing it safe" due to an avalanche warning that had been issued.


A group of snowmobilers staying at the campground were among those who attended the annual snowmobiling event known as 'The Big Iron Shoot out', in the Turbo Bowl area on Boulder Mountain.


"With so many people at the bottom, it was a recipe for disaster," Berlingette said.



He said people are gathering tonight and awaiting updates in the wake of a large-scale rescue operation.


Moskaluk said four provincial search and rescue teams from Revelstoke, Golden, Arrow Lakes and Nelson were involved in rescue efforts.


"We request that the general public keep the area and nearby highways clear for the ongoing rescue effort," Moskaluk said.


This story will be updated as more details become available

 

[christopher]

Extreme snowmobile event linked to controversy


http://www.vancouversun.com/news/th...e+event+linked+controversy/2680924/story.html

Canwest News ServiceMarch 13, 2010 10:06 PM


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The Shootout is an annual event on four areas of Boulder Mountain — the super bowl, sugar bowl, bullpen and turbo bowl.


The competition in past years typically involved 10 teams of 11 riders who compete in the extreme events, racing up the side of the mountain and pulling jumps and stunts.


The event has engendered controversy within the local sledding community for the approximately four years it has operated, said Revelstoke Coun. Steve Bender, who also acts as the city's liaison with local snowmobiling groups.


Both the Revelstoke Snowmobile Society and the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club — who groom the trails up to Boulder Mountain — have expressed long-standing concerns with the event.


"The Big Iron Shootout is where people come from quite distant areas to bring very powerful, souped-up machines and to see how far they can climb up a big mountain. It's extreme high marking," he said.


"There have been concerns with it not being covered properly for safety," Bender added.


Meahnwhile, Revelstoke Mayor David Raven said the avalanche is a "major tragedy."


There had been a "fairly significant" snowfall the previous night on top of some well-established crust layers below that, Raven said.
"That spells trouble," he said.


Witness Rod Romanow told CTV he arrived at the scene minutes after the avalanche.


He described a giant avalanche that has thrown some snowmobiles 30 to 200 metres down the mountain.


"The debris field was extremely deep and large," he said.


"There wasn't real panic there was definitely a flurry of activity," he said. "People were digging furiously trying to find people."


Officials from the British Columbia Snowmobile Federation and the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club declined to comment on the avalanche, but said that the news they are receiving "is not good."
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

 

[christopher]

Revelstoke - UPDATE: Revelstoke Avalanche

File # 2010-832

Sat Mar 13 21:50:00 PST 2010
http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=50&contentId=13829


At this point RCMP can confirm three (3) people are deceased.

We continue to have a tremendous number of emergency rescue assets deployed to assist with this tragic incident. Emergency rescue efforts are continuing.

Cpl Dan Moskaluk is enroute to the area and will provide any update later this evening if further information is known. Media inquiries will be handled from Revelstoke. See original news release here.

Media can send an e-mail request to Cpl Moskaluk to dan.moskaluk@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or by leaving a voice message at 250-863-7433


Released by
Cpl. Dan Moskaluk
Media Relations Officer
South East District and North District
170 -395 Penno Road, Kelowna BC V1X-7W5
Office: (250) 491-2300
Cell: (250) 863-7433
Fax: (250) 491-2381
Email: dan.moskaluk@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Email: ediv_internet_webmaster@rcmp-grc.gc.ca Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bcrcmp
Stay connected with us on Facebook

 

[christopher]

Search continues after avalanche hits BC snowmobile gathering; at least one dead

<!-- begin content --> <!-- this is is... -->

<script type="text/javascript"> var w = $("#the-page-image>img").attr("width"); if(w && typeof(w) != "undefined"){ $("#the-page-caption").css("width",new String(w+"px")); } </script> Sun, 2010-03-14 01:02.
By: THE CANADIAN PRESS
http://www.cjad.com/node/1100411


REVELSTOKE, B.C. - Rescuers were scouring a remote mountain in the Rocky Mountains into the darkness Saturday night after an avalanche struck a large gathering of snowmobilers, killing at least one person and leaving an unknown number missing.


RCMP said said a dozen people were injured in the slide on Boulder Mountain, near Revelstoke, B.C., but up to 200 people were on the mountain at the time for the annual Big Iron Shoot Out.


The slide struck around 3:30 p.m. local time, and search and rescue resources were called in from around the province and from Calgary.
Adam Burke, 20, a member of the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club, said his mother and many of his friends were up there at the time, but his mother was OK.


Burke said he chose not to go, because of the high-risk conditions in the mountains this weekend.


"Today it was high risk and just the other day it was extreme," he told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview.

"I told everyone to shut the mountain down. ... Just how I've been riding and I've noticed a lot of slab avalanches and I've caused a lot of little stuff over the season and it's just progressively gotten worse.


"I told my mom to shut it down and don't have anything to do with this event because it's going to kick you in the ***."


Burke said his friend's father was one of the people unaccounted for.


RCMP said they did not yet have details about the person who was killed or the extent of the injuries. Nor did they have a number for how many might be missing in the slide near Revelstoke, located approximately 300 kilometres west of Calgary and about 400 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.


"The area has been shut down to keep people out," said Cpl. Dan Moskaluk. "They're going to continue on here with trying to remove people off the mountain in the area and tomorrow reassess where we're at."


Search and rescue teams, including helicopters and avalanche rescue dogs called in from around B.C. and Calgary were working to rescue those caught in the slide.


"You've got a variety of emergency assets, everything ranging from your Revelstoke search and rescue to provincial emergency programs," Moskaluk said.


"There's air assets in the form of helicopters ... RCMP police dogs, services dogs, avalanche trained dogs, a variety of machines and people, essentially it's a large scale rescue that's being co-ordinated."


Kathy Berlingette, owner of Smokey Bear Campground Resort in the area, said the event was in a remote place and everyone involved had to drive their snowmobiles out to get there.


She said the slide actually occurred on Turbo Mountain, beside Boulder Mountain, and she said witnesses told here there were three dead.
RCMP were able to confirm only one fatality.


"One fellow that I was talking to said that it resembled a war zone," Berlingette said in a telephone interview.


"The audience was below this large mountain, there's a whole group of people watching the snowmobiles go up the hill and an avalanche broke through," said Belingette, who wasn't there but had guests who did take part.


All five of her guests were fine, she said, and were helping in the recovery effort.


"They're all very shook up, there was three fatalities. There was parents took children up there to watch this event," Belingette said.


"The avalanche was about 25 or 30 feet deep, covered about a half a kilometre in distance, it was a very big one."


She said everyone was being air-lifted off the mountain.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued an avalanche warning for the South Columbia region, which includes Revelstoke, for Saturday and Sunday, after a powerful storm blanketed the region with snow.


"This is the first real snow storm we've experienced in months. Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be blue sky days. Recognize that blue sky weather and pow have a way of twisting our thoughts causing us to make poor decisions. Right now is when consistent good decision making really counts in the mountains," the centre warned on its website.


Greg Johnson, from the avalanche centre, said at the time that there was danger that the snow would overload weak layers in the upper snowpack.
Johnson said there had been a lot of close calls recently and the new snow would make the backcountry very dangerous.


There have been a few avalanche fatalities in the B.C. backcountry already this season but nothing compared to last winter, when there were two dozen deaths. There were 13 avalanche deaths the previous winter.
Revelstoke Mayor David Raven told CTV Newsnet that the gathering was an unsanctioned event.


"The Canadian Avalanche Centre based in Revelstoke has had a warning for the last three weeks expressing extreme caution in the backcountry, a fresh snowfall overnight exacerbated that warning, I know people have been cautioned again and again," Raven said.


Burke said the Big Mountain Shoot Out was started by a Calgary businessman several years ago, and got bigger over the years.


"As a club we can't sponsor it because the liability is crazy," he said, referring to the Revelstoke Snowmobile Association.


Raven said crews continued the search for some time in the dark, and would regroup first thing in the morning.


"They have a number of avalanche dogs working the area, trying to determine the extent and nature of what we're dealing with here," he said.
-By Tamsyn Burgmann in Vancouver

 

[2XM3]

Damn....prayers..

 

[OT Bar & Grill]

The organizers of this event are liable for there reckless actions.

My thoughts go out to the families of the dead

OT

 

[TDUGGER]

Anyone can organize an event and have something go wrong. This could of been a girl scout gathering and had something go bad. When the extreme warning's of avy danger are posted everywhere for people to see, you can only do so much. We take a risk everytime we go in the back country. The people riding and viewing this event all knew the warning's or should of before leaving that mourning. Don't get me wrong I fell terrible for the families of the lost and loved ones, but you can't piss off mother nature. She alway's win's when it is her turn.

 

[208_RMK]

This is horrible- sounds like the conditions were just plain dangerous with confirmed avalanches in the area before the event. Yeah you can say they asumed the risk but come on, an event organized or unorganized in dangerous conditions??? Our sport/recreation did not need this nor did it ever. My thoughts and prayers with the vics/fam.

 

[1badcowboy]

i think they should have some kind of sign in sheet for people attending this event so it would be a bit easier to track people after a wreck like this i pray for all