Two men were unharmed when they were caught up in a backcountry avalanche on Mount Fernie on Thursday.
Elk Valley RCMP officials said the slide was reported shortly after 1 p.m.
The two men, both from Fernie and 29 and 30 years old, were backcountry snowboarding when one of them triggered the avalanche.
Fernie Search and Rescue also jumped into action with a helicopter and avalanche rescue gear.
“The slide, highly visible from town, was estimated as a Size 2.5-3, with a crown 150m wide, 60 to 80 centimetres deep and with a debris pile around four metres deep,” said SAT officials.
RCMP officials said the two men were prepared for an emergency.
“While RCMP and Fernie Search and Rescue were in the process of responding they were updated that the male caught in the avalanche managed to self-rescue out and was miraculously unharmed,” said RCMP officials.
SAR officials said this is a good lesson in the importance of caution on the slopes.
“While the outcome was a happy one, it is a stark reminder of the instability of the current snowpack as highlighted in the current AvCan forecast, which is climbing to “High” from tomorrow [Fri] onwards,” said SAR officials. “We encourage everyone to play safe this weekend particularly. Incredibly difficult risk decisions need to be taken by SAR when responding to situations like this – this site was not one we could safely enter to effect a rescue. When we need to take steps to mitigate hazards, it significantly slows down our response time.”
More: Avalanche Canada forecasts