Avalanche on Mont Albert: more fear than harm according to SQ

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) has announced the end of a search operation that began yesterday afternoon at Mount Albert in Caspé Park. Three people were injured during the incident, one of whom was taken to hospital.

“According to the information we have nobody is missing,” explains SQ communications sergeant Stephen Tremblay. However, teams from Avalanche Quebec and the Quebec Association of Search and Rescue Volunteers (AQPRS) will continue their work in the field.

Chic-Chocs Mountain presented a moderate avalanche risk, according to data compiled by the Avalanche Quebec organization on Saturday afternoon. However, it started snowing around 3pm.

On its Facebook page, the organization explained that a moderate index leaves “the possibility of being triggered by human intervention,” but that natural avalanches are less likely to occur under such conditions.

Avalanche Quebec teams are still on the south slope of Mount Albert to investigate.

According to the first observations by the organization based in Saint-Anne-des-Monts in Gaspésie, the avalanche was accidentally triggered by skiers roaming “on top of the Patrouilleurs wall”.