On Sept. 4, around 4 p.m., Kananaski Emergency Services received a call that a man had fallen more than 100 meters down the mountain just south of Canmore. “He fell and fell. It wasn’t like 100 meters straight down a cliff, it was like a fall over slabs of rock and loose rock and then over some small rocks as well,” said Jeremy Mackenzie, public safety specialist for Kananaski County . “And unfortunately he suffered some very serious traumatic injuries.” Despite their efforts to save the man, he died of his injuries in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
400 rescue calls a year
On Saturday, Kananaskis Country Public Safety (KCPS) responded to another incident on the same mountain. “The day before, we also had a shaker in distress at Big Sister and in that case he wasn’t injured, but he was very badly off track and ended up in a situation where he couldn’t get on or off his seat,” he said. “It’s quite common in terms of diversion incidents and we actually respond to almost 400 rescue calls a year — and there’s quite a large percentage that are scramblers.” KCPS was able to rescue the man on Saturday.
More than a hike
The circumstances that led to the man’s fall on Sunday are unclear, but anyone attempting to tackle should take extra precautions, Mackenzie says. One of the most important things to note is that scrambling and hiking are two different things. He says people often assume that once they can hike, they can go straight to scrambling. “In hiking you’re not on set trails, so you have to have wayfinding and navigation skills,” Mackenzie said. “That means you have to be a little more prepared with your research as well as the gear you carry.” In some cases, scramblers require helmets and sturdy footwear. Mackenzie says their skill set is something that builds over time. “You’re not just going to be a hiker and then immediately get redirected.”
