From Gripped Magazine · gripped · · 1m 30s
Two more hikers die in Banff backcountry
Two separate deaths in one week in Banff National Park, including an off-duty hiking guide found near a peak almost nobody visits.
In brief
Two separate deaths in one week in Banff National Park, including an off-duty hiking guide found near a peak almost nobody visits. Experience and gear do not cancel out backcountry risk in the Rockies, and staying together matters as much as staying equipped. Originally reported by Gripped Magazine.
Two deaths in one week
Alberta officials say two men died on separate hikes in Banff National Park last week: a 24-year-old from Jasper and a 33-year-old from Calgary.
A tracker that stopped moving
The 24-year-old was reported missing Wednesday afternoon after his satellite tracker went still. A Parks Canada helicopter crew found him dead near Recondite Peak.
A corner of the park nobody visits
Recondite Peak sees roughly 10 people a year. He had set out Monday and was found with climbing equipment and a helmet.
A guide on his day off
RCMP Sgt. Susan Richter said he was an experienced trekker who worked as a hiking guide and was off duty when he died. The cause has not been released.
“He was an experienced trekker who worked as a hiking guide.”
Separated from his group
The second man was hiking with friends near Beehive Mountain when the group split up. They assumed different paces, then raised the alarm when he never met them.
A pattern, not a fluke
Summer deaths in Alberta's backcountry are not rare: falls, avalanches and fast-shifting weather. July claimed hikers on Mount Temple and in Kananaskis Country.
“Deaths in Alberta's backcountry are not uncommon during the summer.”
What it means
Experience and gear do not cancel out backcountry risk in the Rockies, and staying together matters as much as staying equipped.
