SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Aussie dies on Canadian glacier

An Australian without a helmet and little climbing experience is the latest person to die on Canada's Sky Pilot Mountain.

2 min read

Published

Updated


Skip to article content

An Australian man has fallen more than 300 metres to his death while climbing a glacier on Canada's Sky Pilot Mountain.

The 29-year-old was not an experienced mountaineer and was not wearing a helmet, Squamish Search and Rescue manager Katy Chambers told the Pique Newsmagazine.

It was also believed to be the first time he had climbed with crampons, the metal plates with spikes climbers attach to their shoes.

The climber, whose name has not been released, died on Saturday morning after falling and sliding 300m through rocky terrain.

He suffered "massive trauma" to his head.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Local police received a call about 11.30am about an injured man who fell from Stadium Glacier, located on the 1733m high Sky Pilot mountain near Squamish, located between Vancouver and Whistler, in British Columbia.

A doctor at the scene conducted CPR until rescue crews arrived 45 minutes later, but he was dead.

The Australian was hiking with another man, Chambers said.

"They were active individuals but I wouldn't call them experienced mountaineers or anything," Chambers said.

The accident happened about a three-hour hike from Squamish's popular Sea to the Sky Gondola.

It is the second fatal fall on Sky Pilot Mountain this year.

In July Vancouver man Owen Hosford fell to his death after entering an advanced climbing area via the Sea to Sky Gondola.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world