Lake Louise avalanche victim identified as Red Deer hockey player

Article content material

A Purple Deer junior hockey participant was the sufferer of a deadly human-caused avalanche in Lake Louise on Saturday.

Cale Stecyk, 21, died within the avalanche, in response to social media posts from his Rocky Rams Junior Hockey crew.

Article content material

“Our ideas and prayers exit to this household Alan, Shari and Teagan in addition to his girlfriend McKenna at the moment. In addition to quite a few pals, colleagues and teammates,” reads the crew’s report.

“Cale was somebody everybody needed to be round and play with, his infectious smile and presence might be missed by many.”

The crew added counseling was accessible to all members of the group affected by Stecyk’s loss of life. He was taken by rescue helicopter to the resort’s medical cabin and pronounced lifeless there, after resuscitation efforts.

Article content material

The avalanche occurred Saturday afternoon after a bunch of three skiers ventured right into a closed space of ​​Lake Louise Ski Resort, in response to the resort. They brought about an avalanche that buried two folks.

Stecyk was totally buried and didn’t survive. He was buried for about an hour earlier than being pulled from the snow, AHS EMS mentioned. He was taken by rescue helicopter to the resort’s medical cabin and pronounced lifeless after resuscitation efforts.

The second partially buried skier was rescued. Paramedics, Parks Canada rescue canines and space RCMP all attended the scene, and particular avalanche rescue groups had been dispatched round 2:20 p.m.

“Not one of the people had been sporting avalanche security tools. Our deepest condolences exit to the household and pals of the deceased,” Lake Louise Ski Resort mentioned in an announcement posted on its web site Sunday.

An Avalanche Canada report signifies {that a} “skier-activated” dimension 3 slide occurred on the west face of Whitehornberg, which was reported at 200 meters broad and 550 meters lengthy with a crown depth of 40 to 50 centimeters.

The group listed avalanche hazard circumstances all through the Arch Valley as “important” as of Sunday afternoon, that means pure avalanches are attainable and human-induced avalanches are probably.

The slide is the one avalanche on the Alberta facet of the border up to now this yr and the province’s first since 2021. Alberta has seen two deadly avalanches in 2021: that April, a skier went down a slide at Lake Louise’s Haddo- peak died and two hikers died the next month in an avalanche on the Columbia Icefields in Jasper Nationwide Park.

Avalanches have killed 12 folks in BC up to now in 2023.

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring