Parks Canada says the bodies of three men who were killed in an avalanche on the east side of Howse Peak last week have been recovered.
Three experienced climbers were scaling the daunting Howse Peak route along the Icefields Parkway on Wednesday afternoon when an avalanche occurred.
The trio have been identified as 35-year-old Hansjörg Auer and 28-year-old David Lama, both of Austria, and 36-year-old Jess Roskelley of the United States.
All three were members of The North Face’s Global Athlete Team.
Dangerous conditions prevented recovery teams from entering the area where the men were killed but those conditions cleared up on Sunday.
Parks Canada is extending its sincere condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the trio.
“We would also like to acknowledge the impact that this has had on the tight-knit, local and international climbing communities. Our thoughts are with families, friends and all those who have been affected by this tragic incident,” officials said in a release.
Avalanche forecasters are still warning backcountry users about dangerous conditions in the Rocky Mountains.
They say naturally triggered avalanches have been widespread throughout the region because of the amount of snow that’s fallen, coupled with the warm daytime temperatures.
On Saturday, a man was buried in a slide near Lake Louise and needed to be flown to hospital in Calgary with serious injuries he sustained in the incident.
It’s expected to be several days before the conditions improve.
Parks Canada officials are expected to hold a media conference about the recovery operation on Monday.
