21:25 19/03/13 Mark Taylor’s body was recovered this evening from the crevasse down which he had fallen last week near Lake Louise. CBC reported, “A rescue team has recovered the body of a skier from a glacier crevasse near Lake Louise, Alta.”
“The family is in our thoughts and the whole team and Parks Canada really wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family,” said Omar McDadi, spokesman for Banff, Kootenay and Yoho national parks.”
Taylor fell down the crevasse just after midnight a week ago and was found about 20 metres below the surface of the glacier. According to the CBC, Taylor’s body has been transferred to BC authorities who will perform an autopsy in order to determine whether he was killed by the fall or by the conditions he might have endured after the fall.
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Rescue Crew Descends Into Crevasse In Search Of Mark Taylor
UPDATED 18:35 19/03/13 The Edmonton Journal is reporting that the rescue crew has managed to get down 15 meters into the crevasse where Abbotsford Parks and Recreation Director Mark Taylor fell last week.
According to a report in the Journal, “We’re set up with all our gear, rope, harnesses, radios for safety, helmets, some are winched in,” said Parks Canada spokesman Omar McDadi. “It’s a very technical operation.”
McDadi said crew members had made their way 15 metres down into the crevasse before being blocked by a snow bridge, which they are trying to chip through to get to the trapped skier.
“We are in good shape to see it through. If we can’t make a determination tonight, some of the crews could stay overnight,” he said, adding there’s a nearby hut about an hour away by ski.
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Rescue Crews Land On Wapta Traverse
UPDATED 13:23 19/03/13 – News 1130 is reporting crews have made it to Wapta Traverse in Yoho National Park, where Abbotsford Parks and Recreation Director, Mark Taylor, fell into a crevasse almost last week.
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Search For Mark Taylor Still Deemed Rescue Mission
UPDATED 11:11 19/03/13 – Searchers says they are still treating the search for Mark Taylor
as a rescue mission now that weather has improved in the area near Lake Louise where Taylor and his two partners ran into trouble last week.
The Abbotsford Parks and Recreation Director fell some 35 metres into a crevasse in the Wapta Traverse region late Tuesday night last week.
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Wapta Traverse.
The News reported the information this morning on their website after earlier reports from News 1130 naming “a well-known man from the City of Abbotsford,” as the victim of the fall.
According to News 1130, “Omar McDadi with Parks Canada says extreme weather conditions have prevented crews from a successful rescue.
“We’re waiting for a break in the weather, as soon as the skies are clear and it’s safe to fly we will make another attempt to get back to the crevasse and make another rescue attempt. Two other people were with the man; they were rescued on Friday.”
Late this afternoon The Abbotsford Times reported that weather conditions at the site were making it impossible to establish contact with Taylor or mount a rescue effort into the crevasse.
According to the Times, Mayor Bruce Banman said, “It’s possible a rescue could happen, and that’s the best outcome everyone is hoping for.”
Photo from backcountryskiingcanada.com