Arctic Bay man dies in sudden avalanche

JANE GEORGE
Nunatsiaq News

MONTREAL — It was a clear, cold day with little wind, but even so, danger lurking on the slope killed a 24-year old Arctic Bay man last Saturday.

Peter Barnabas likely didn’t have time to avoid the avalanche that buried him and his snowmobile under eight feet of snow.

Fast-moving avalanches have been noted to travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.

Barnabas had left Arctic Bay earlier that morning, intending to meet up with a friend later that day.

But Barnabas didn’t show up, and by late afternoon searchers were out looking for him.

RCMP Constable Harvey Seddon, who joined the search in the evening, says skidoo tracks were finally found by flashlight around 12 kilometers from Arctic Bay, near a steep hill approximately 100 meters high.

Using copper pipes as guides in the deep snow, Barnabas’ body was located around 1:30 am on March 8.

“There have not been other reports of avalanches in the area,” says Const. Seddon, “But there could be avalanches and depending on their location, no one would know.”

Avalanche safety publications suggest traveling routes that avoid steep slopes.

Slopes with a sun crust or south-facing slopes are particularly dangerous, because loose layers underneath can move, unleashing an avalanche.

Snowmobilers are also advised to travel in pairs, to carry a shovel and a collapsible probe.

“Stop every once in a while for a look around, and think about what you see,” counsels the Cyberspace Snow and Avalance Centre.

If you are caught in an avalanche, the centre says you can try to ride it out or jump off your machine and try to swim along with its motion.

Sticking your arm stright up in the air is a good idea because sometimes it will stick up from the avalanche, giving others a clue to where you are.