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Skier injured in Rogers Pass avalanche

Skier airlifted to hospital after getting caught in avalanche in Glacier National Park.

A man was airlifted to hospital in serious condition after being caught in avalanche in Rogers Pass on Thursday.

According to a report by mountain guide Sylvia Forest, the man was touring with four other skiers to the summit of Grizzly Peak. The first skier to descend did a ski cut in the start zone, with no results. The second skier did the same; once again nothing happened. Then, when he did a kick turn, the slope failed and a size three avalanche broke away, running about 800 vertical metres, with a depth of 1.5-2 metres.

A 34-year-old skier was caught in the avalanche and received critical injuries, Parks Canada spokesperson Jacolyn Daniluck wrote in an e-mail. He was heli-lifted off the mountain by Parks Canada visitor safety and avalanche control personnel and flown directly to hospital in Golden.

The rescue took about 70 minutes, Daniluck said. The skier’s current condition is not known.