FALING ROCK, SNOW SLIDE, FALL INTO CREVASSE, FALLING SNOW BLOCK

British Columbia, Purcell Mountains, Snowpatch-Bugaboo Col

AT 0915 on August 25, 1984, two climbers were ascending toward the Snowpatch-Bugaboo col, on a snow slope at 2700 meters elevation, just above the major bergschrund. They were unroped, but were wearing crampons and helmets and carried ice axes. Rocks fell from above toward the lower climber (39). The upper climber shouted to the lower one to move left, but apparently she did not hear. The rock fall triggered sluffing of the snow (knee deep), which pushed the climber backward into the bergschrund, where she fell to a depth of a meter or so. She may also have been hit by rocks. Immediately a snow block (2.5 meters across) broke off the upper lip of the bergschrund and fell on the climber.

The upper climber and four others who had been climbing nearby could not move the snow block, but eventually succeeded in hacking away the snow and freeing the victim’s obviously dead body. An autopsy later revealed that the force of the falling snow block had caused massive internal crushing and breakage. (Source: J. Timmins, Bugaboo Glacier Provincial Park)

Analysis

The climbers had just returned to the snow slope above the bergschrund after negotiating some rocks on the Bugaboo side of the snow slope. This is a very common route and no more hazardous than other routes. The col was in very poor shape that month. A great deal of rock and snow had come down the week before the incident. Perhaps if the upper climber had been anchored and belaying the lower one, the fall into the bergschrund might have been avoided. Roping up has always been recommended for this route, but does not appear to be a common practice. (Source: J. Timmins, Bugaboo Glacier Provincial Park)