Two touring groups on McGill Shoulder yesterday illustrated why communicating with each other is absolutely necessary in popular backcountry destinations. One group had dropped into Camp West ~3min before the 2nd group remote-triggered an avalanche into the path they were skiing. The group in the slide path saw the avalanche and were in a safe location to avoid being hit. The upper group called Parks Canada rescue and alerted them of the event, but deemed the path too dangerous to go and check if the lower group was buried.
Parks Canada flew the path/debris with a helicopter to visually ensure no one had been involved. This was ~1hr after the event. If someone had been caught, they likely would not have had a favourable outcome.
Takeaways from this event?
1. Talk with other groups in the area and make plans with them to descend slopes safely, especially when there are lots of people around.
2. If you witness or trigger an avalanche, at a minimum contact Parks Canada rescue services (1.877.852.3100) to get resources rolling! If you know no one was affected/buried, still call. It will save a needless helicopter flight to clear the debris.
3. Avalanche burials are time critical. If it is safe to enter the path, people who are already on-scene will be able to provide the highest likelihood of a positive outcome for anyone who has been buried.
Stay safe out there!