Avalanche west of Calgary puts one in hospital: officials

An unresponsive teenager was taken to hospital after getting caught in an avalanche about an hour west of Calgary.

Officials say a teenager was taken to hospital in critical condition Friday after an avalanche at a popular ski resort in western Alberta.

Mounties say they were called to the scene at Nakiska Ski Area in Kananaskis Country about an hour west of Calgary, after getting reports of an avalanche shortly before 1 p.m.

They say two people — an adult and a teenager — were caught in an avalanche.

It’s not immediately clear if the skiers were skiing in an in-bound area of the mountain, but one witness who was on the hill when the slide happened said it occurred in the Monster Glades area of the park, which features predominantly blue and black graded runs.

They say the adult was able to dig themselves out of the snow, while avalanche dogs and EMS services were used to locate the teen.

The teen was recovered unresponsive and taken to a hospital in Calgary in life-threatening condition.

It’s unclear exactly how long the teenager was buried in the avalanche.

Avalanche Canada told CTV News it didn’t have any details on the incident.

The non-profit’s avalanche danger ratings ranked the avalanche danger Friday afternoon as being considerable, meaning natural avalanches are possible and human-triggered avalanches were likely.

The avalanche came after Environment Canada issued a heavy snowfall warning for much of southern Alberta, with 15 to 30 centimetres likely through to Saturday morning.