LAKE LOUISE, Alta. — A skier has died after a small avalanche pushed him over a cliff near Lake Louise, Alta.
Tim Haggarty with Parks Canada says the man in his 20s from Golden, B.C., died Sunday on Mount Victoria.
He says the man and his ski partner had climbed up the mountain on their skis, but turned back midway because of strong winds.
As they were skiing down, the pair became separated and a slab avalanche about 15 centimetres deep was triggered.
Haggarty says it's believed the piece of snow pushed one skier down the hill and over the cliff.
The surviving skier later found his friend but the man had no pulse and had suffered serious trauma.
"It wasn't the avalanche that did the damage to him. It was certainly the fall," Haggarty said, adding the drop was about 75 to 100 metres.
He said the wind hampered recovery efforts Sunday but a crew was able to remove the victim's body on Monday.
The man's name has not been released, but Haggarty said he was a well-known backcountry skier in the area.
