Poor visibility caused skier’s death in sinkhole: RCMP

Elk Valley RCMP are investigating after a man died after falling into a sink at Fernie Alpine Resort on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, officers responded to reports of a possible sudden death at the facility, where they discovered BC Ambulance was transporting a man to the hospital.

Police say the man apparently fell into a “naturally occurring terrain trap” located near the Polar Peak chairlift, beneath one of the resort’s lift towers.

The services claim that there was a sign warning about the hole nearby, but the victim, a 67-year-old man, did not notice it and fell into the hole.

Another skier in the area noticed the victim’s shoes sticking out of the ground and tried to help him.

Police say poor visibility at the time contributed to the man skiing into an approximately 20-by-30-foot off-road trap filled with “loose and undisturbed snow.”

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Brett Urano said the loose snow had deadly effects.

“When you get into a trap like that with loose snow, it’s like quicksand,” Urano said, “because the snow is light and fluffy, which is the best snow for skiing, but when you get into that situation, it’s hard to dig out.

“And you just fall deeper and deeper into the snow, which would lead – unfortunately in this case – to deprive the snow of oxygen, which could basically suffocate someone.”

Police say Ski Patrol and BC Ambulance made enormous efforts to keep the man alive, but after several hours in hospital, his life support was disconnected and he was pronounced dead.

An RCMP spokesman said the man was from Ontario.