Paraglider dead after crashing into Alberta mountain near Canmore: RCMP

Mountains are reflected in a reservoir in Canmore, Alta., on April 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CANMORE — Mounties in Alberta say a paraglider died after crashing into the side of a mountain last week.

RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney says officers responded to a call about a paragliding accident near Ha Ling Peak, a popular mountain near the town of Canmore, just before noon on Jan. 18.

Slaney says the male was pronounced dead at the scene and the cause of the accident is not criminal in nature but it is still under investigation.

“Somebody called in and said somebody hit the side of the mountain. I know that sounds horrible,” said Slaney in a Monday interview.

“By the time we arrived, there was a helicopter there, EMS was there.”

RCMP said Mounties conducted traffic control in the area while Kananaskis Emergency Services helped the male.

Slaney said investigators are waiting for the autopsy results.

The press secretary for Alberta’s minister of forestry and parks says hang gliding and paragliding are federally regulated activities and there are two authorized takeoff and landing points for the air sports in Kananaskis.

Ha Ling Peak is one of them, said Michael Plenits in an email.

“Alberta Parks does not issue permissions or permits for individual hang gliding and paragliding flights,” he said.

“We work closely with Alberta Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and co-ordinate with our partners as needed.”

Plenits said rescue teams with Alberta Parks and conservation officers also responded to the paragliding crash.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2026.