Avalanche death inquiry hears Parks Canada official defended moderate danger rating
At an inquest into the 2021 death of 26-year-old Spencer Postman on Haddo Peak, Parks Canada's safety manager testified he reviewed conditions and deemed the danger forecast accurate.
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A Parks Canada official testified Monday at an inquiry into a fatal 2021 avalanche that the danger rating issued that day was accurate, raising questions about how avalanche forecasts are communicated to backcountry users.
Spencer Postman, 26, of Canmore, died on April 5, 2021, when he and a friend were travelling extreme terrain on Haddo Peak in Banff National Park. The slope they were on, a skier-triggered slab avalanche, carried Postman over a cliff.
Brian Webster, manager of visitor safety for Parks Canada in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay national parks, testified that he reviewed reports from previous days and partner bulletins from adjacent jurisdictions before determining the avalanche danger was rated moderate. "Everything I reviewed convinced me this was an accurate representation of conditions," he said.
Webster told Justice Karl Wilberg's inquiry that Postman and his friend should have had the information they needed to make an informed decision. "We forecast all the information we are able to get," he said. "I believe they had access and used that information to make an informed choice."
Wilberg's inquiry is not tasked with assigning blame but with making recommendations on how to prevent future tragedies, including improvements to warnings and communication. Webster said his office gathers information throughout the day and synthesizes it into an avalanche bulletin. "It's very much like being a detective," he testified.
When asked about closing backcountry areas if conditions warrant it, Webster noted that Parks Canada has authority to close sections of the park for resource management and public safety but has never closed backcountry areas based on avalanche hazard alone.
Kevin Rohn, the survivor of the avalanche and a guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, was on a recreational outing with Postman, a longtime friend. The inquiry continues to hear testimony about conditions at the slide site and search-and-rescue response.
The facts
Who died in the 2021 Banff avalanche?
Spencer Postman, 26, of Canmore, died on April 5, 2021, when a skier-triggered slab avalanche on Haddo Peak in Banff National Park carried him over a cliff.
What danger rating did Parks Canada issue for the day of the avalanche?
Parks Canada rated the avalanche danger as moderate on April 5, 2021. Brian Webster, the manager of visitor safety for Parks Canada in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay national parks, testified that he reviewed reports and partner bulletins before determining this rating was accurate.
Has Parks Canada ever closed backcountry areas due to avalanche hazard?
Parks Canada has never closed backcountry areas based on avalanche hazard alone, though the agency has authority to close sections of the park for resource management and public safety.
