Dallas Shane Mayert and his friend (name not yet disclosed) were experienced snowmobilers out enjoying early-season sledding on Torpy Mountain when an avalanche struck. It was Sunday at about 2:30 p.m. Mayert did not survive and it was hours before searchers could be notified and get safely to his location.
"The issue for us wasn't figuring out where they were, we knew the area, the issue was access," said Prince George Search And Rescue spokesman Dale Bull. The nearest road was washed out partway in, and darkness was falling which prevented helicopter response.
According to Bull, it took the surviving snowmobiler some time to free himself from his own spot in the avalanche, locate another sled group in the area, get to cellular phone service, and call in authorities. By the time searchers had been alerted, the estimated time of a helicopter's arrival was 5:30 p.m.
Search And Rescue (SAR) operations cannot happen in an avalanche incident without first being assessed for further dangers by a highly-trained technician.
There are few of those technicians available. None from Prince George were readily available on Sunday, and the next nearest was in McBride, which was under impassible weather conditions. It was Monday morning before a Smithers-based technician and a Prince George technician became available. Both flew in together early in the morning while ground searchers were on standby at the base of the mountain.
Bull explained that the incident took place in the PGSAR zone but the five local searchers gladly handed leadership of the mission over to five additional searchers who joined them from the Robson Valley SAR group out of McBride. That team's leader, Dale Mason, was the search manager.
"They [the airborne technicians] determined that it was not safe, the likelihood of a second avalanche was high," said Bull. "They went in equipped with the explosives they needed for that. They detonated those to test the stability of the snow and indeed it did trigger one more avalanche that came down."
Once stabilized the 10 searchers below moved in, along with a trained dog and handler from the Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association. Mayert was wearing a beacon, said Bull, but it was not functioning properly. However the dog quickly located his body under almost a metre of snow.
Bull did not detail the extrication effort but said that "Generally, avalanche snow settles like concrete. It is very hard to dig through." It was about 4 p.m. Monday when the helicopter, parked on the mountain nearby, could take Mayert off the slope. Again, darkness was a concern but a pair of helicopters successfully ferried the searchers and dog from the scene in time.
"Statistically this incident might be early in the season, but importantly, if there is snow on the ground, it is possible," Bull said. "Anytime there is extreme weather involving the snowpack, it increases the risk and there had been a heavy snowfall the night before. It can happen to anyone - first time on a snowmobile or riding for 25 years."
Those close to the incident disclosed to The Citizen that a large contingent of Mayert's friends volunteered to join the search, some so eager with emotion that they were on the verge of charging into the danger zone before it was made safe. Mayert's family members helped restrain them.
