A 17-year-old snowboarder from Burnaby died on Whistler
Mountain on Dec. 22.
The incident occurred at around 3:20 p.m. Dec. 22. RCMP were
called about a serious injury after Samuel Daigle, an experienced rider, struck
a large boulder in a closed
area.
Staff Sergeant Steve Leclair with the Whistler RCMP said the
snowboarder was riding near the confluence of the Marmot and Lower Rat Fink
runs, about a “three minute skiing time” from the top of the Emerald Chair.
“Normally they are within the ski area boundary, however due to
the snow conditions they were designated beyond boundary,” he said.
Leclair said it was an unwitnessed event, but it’s believed
that a short amount of time passed between Daigle’s friends realizing he wasn’t
at the bottom of the hill and his location by a passerby.
Ski patrollers arrived on scene and tried to revive him but
they were unsuccessful. Daigle died shortly after hitting the boulder.
Leclair did not confirm where he hit the rock, but said he
endured a “blunt force trauma” to his upper body area.
Christina Moore, a spokeswoman for Whistler Blackcomb, said the
snowboarder’s death has “affected everybody” at Whistler Blackcomb.
“The fact of the matter is people push their limits,” she said.
“What looks good, doesn’t necessarily mean it is good.”
Moore also said that early season conditions are still in
effect due to a low snowpack, and that patrollers on Whistler and Blackcomb are
working “extremely hard” to mark
dangerous
areas as out of bounds.
“We can certainly assure guests that the ski resort is safe for
guests to ski within the boundary,” she said. “That is what we work on and the
reason why the runs are boundarized is because the areas outside the boundaries
are not safe to ski at this point in time.”
An RCMP news release said that while “numerous other persons”
had entered the area where the rider died, that people should enjoy the ski
area “responsibly” and heed all signs posted for guests’ safety.
“Unmarked rocks and obstacles can be encountered at this time
due to the snow conditions,” Leclair said.
Peter Jean, Safety Supervisor for Whistler Blackcomb, said
there’s often an “overexuberance” among skiers and snowboarders when they see
new snow on the mountains.
“I think that’s a behavioural pattern, something that we get
when we see fresh snow,” he said. “Unfortunately I think people see new snow
but they haven’t really put all the different pieces of a fairly complex
natural world together.
“Yes, new snow, (but) what’s it covering? Are there creeks out there still? Are there rocks out there still?”