One person has been killed in an avalanche in Haines Pass, about 150 kilometres south of Whitehorse, Yukon.
A group of five were ski touring in an area 4.5 km northwest of Mount McDonell Sunday. The avalanche was triggered by the fourth skier in the group as they descended the slope. One skier was fully buried, 1.5 m deep, and did not survive. Another skier was partially buried and sustained minor injuries. The fully buried skier was extricated by the other members of their group.
The avalanche initiated as a wind slab, but stepped down to the mid-February facet/crust layer when it hit the moraine at the bottom of the slope.
