{"id":43590,"date":"2026-04-02T16:14:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/43590\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T16:14:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T16:14:37","slug":"rogers-pass-avalanche-kills-backcountry-skier-on-swiss-peak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/43590\/","title":{"rendered":"Rogers Pass Avalanche Kills Backcountry Skier on Swiss Peak"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Parks\"ParksParks Canada \u2013 An overview photo showing where the fall initiated and stopped. | Image: Avalanche Canada<\/p>\n

A skier died on Monday, March 30, after a small loose-snow avalanche<\/a> knocked them off their feet and sent them tumbling 2,000 vertical feet (600 vertical meters) down the northeast face of Swiss Peak in Rogers Pass, Glacier National Park, British Columbia, Avalanche Canada<\/a> confirmed this week.<\/p>\n

The skier was part of a group of four descending the peak when, around 1 p.m., they became the first in the group to ski the upper portion of the \u201cNorth Swiss\u201d descent route. Approximately 230 feet (70 meters) below the summit, at an elevation of 10,088 feet (3,075 meters), they inadvertently triggered a Size 1 loose-snow avalanche, commonly referred to as sluff, which caught them and knocked them off their feet.<\/p>\n

The skier then fell over a 33 foot (10-meter) cliff and was unable to arrest their descent before continuing further down the slope. They tumbled through steep, cliffy terrain before coming to rest on the glacier below at an elevation of roughly 8,200 feet (2,500 meters). Parks Canada reported that the skier sustained significant trauma during the fall and died at the scene.<\/p>\n

\"The\"TheThe forecast on the day of the Rogers Pass avalanche. | Image: Avalanche Canada<\/p>\n

The incident occurred in the Rogers Pass area of the Selkirk Mountains, a region renowned for serious avalanche terrain. The avalanche danger rating for the Rogers Pass zone that day was classified as moderate, with Avalanche Canada warning. \u201cAssess the bond between wind slabs and the underlying crust before committing to steep terrain. Strong sun could increase the likelihood of both natural and human-triggered avalanches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Golden-Field RCMP is investigating. Sgt. Derek Rondeau of Revelstoke RCMP confirmed the fatality fell outside his detachment\u2019s area, directing inquiries to the Golden-Field detachment.<\/p>\n

Rogers Pass Avalanche Danger and Sluff Safety<\/p>\n

Parks Canada issued a follow-up advisory the day after the incident. The agency cautioned that incoming flurries would continue to deposit loose snow on slopes throughout the Rogers Pass area, warning travelers to remain alert to small sluffs capable of knocking a person off their feet.<\/p>\n

Avalanche Canada notes that sluff is a common hazard on steep terrain and that the consequences can be severe, particularly when cliff bands or terrain traps are present below. The organization advises that skiers can manage sluff risk by descending in short pitches and moving to safe positions, out of the flow path, between sections.<\/p>\n

The identity of the deceased has not been publicly released.<\/p>\n

The fatality is the 12th avalanche-related death in Canada<\/a> this season.\u00a0There have also been 22 in the US<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The\"TheThe Rogers Pass avalanche location.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Parks Canada \u2013 An overview photo showing where the fall initiated and stopped. | Image: Avalanche Canada A…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43591,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[902,1066,563,25117,41,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-43590","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-switzerland","8":"tag-avalanche","9":"tag-british-columbia","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-rogers-pass","12":"tag-swiss","13":"tag-switzerland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116336005360317983","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}