Two men die in backcountry avalanches

A snowboarder in Waterton Lakes National Park and a snowmobiler on the Montana-Idaho border were recently killed in backcountry avalanches.

The snowboarder from Lethbridge, Alberta, was killed on Feb. 15. Wade Galloway, 37, who served on the Lethbridge City Council, was snowboarding with a friend near Rowe Peak in Waterton Lakes National Park when he was caught in the slide.

Parks Canada officials reported that Galloway’s companion was not buried by the avalanche and was able to locate and partially extricate Galloway. Resuscitation attempts, however, were unsuccessful.

Galloway was elected to the council in October 2013 and was a driving force for Lethbridge’s new skatepark and an advocate for downtown revitalization. He was well-known as an avid snowboarder and for his active fundraising with avalanche rescue organizations.

Parks Canada teams were able to safely recover Galloway’s body on Feb. 23. Efforts to recover his body were hampered for a week by poor weather and dangerous avalanche conditions.

A 49-year-old man was killed in a backcountry avalanche while snowmobiling near the Idaho-Montana border on Feb. 22, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Four men were snowmobiling in a rugged part of the Cabinet Range about 17 miles southwest of Troy when two were caught in an avalanche.

One of the riders was buried with only his face exposed and was pulled to safety by his companions. Bryan William Harlow, however, was found under four to six feet of compacted snow and was not breathing when he was freed, according to the sheriff’s office.

Two of Harlow’s friends performed CPR on him while a third rode his snowmobile out of the area to call 911. Harlow was pronounced dead at the scene by a search and rescue team.

The sheriff’s department said the four men were aware of the avalanche danger and were taking precautions. A follow-up on-site investigation was not possible because of the high avalanche risk in the area.