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Pro Splitboarder Stratton Matteson, 28, Killed in Joffre Peak Avalanche

Officials had warned of reactive wind slabs in the Sea-to-Sky region.

Overview

  • The Bend, Oregon athlete was caught on Feb. 24 while riding on Anniversary Glacier east of Pemberton, B.C.
  • Rescuers reported a human-triggered slide around 10 a.m. that ran about 1,500 metres with burial roughly 1.5 metres deep.
  • A witness near Keith Hut attempted an immediate rescue before Pemberton Search and Rescue located Matteson by helicopter and transceiver later that afternoon, when he was pronounced dead at the scene.
  • Avalanche Canada counts the death as the fourth avalanche fatality in British Columbia this season during a stretch of storm and wind loading.
  • Friends and colleagues are mourning his loss, highlighting his “Bike to Board” approach and environmental commitment.