Nelson mourned in the early months of 2023 after avalanches killed three people.
The first occurred Jan. 9 in an area north of Kaslo when off-duty Nelson Police Department officers Wade Tittemore and Mathieu Nolet were ski touring.
Both officers were experienced backcountry skiers who had avalanche training and were carrying beacons. They were found by four people staying at a nearby cabin.
Tittemore, 43, was killed immediately and left behind a wife and two sons. A constable at the time of his death, Tittemore was posthumously promoted to detective.
Nolet, 28, was rescued from the scene and hospitalized with multiple broken bones and internal injuries. He later died at Kelowna General Hospital on Jan. 21.
”It is hard to fully express the sadness we are feeling here,” said Chief Donovan Fisher in a statement. The department was shut down for a time so officers could grieve, with local RCMP filling in on-call.
Both officers were honoured with processions that included first responders lined up from Kelowna to Nelson along highways, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those to offer condolences.
The next fatality occurred Feb. 11 in the Chilcotin region. Tenne Anderson, who grew up on a rural property south of Nelson and graduated from L.V. Rogers, was killed in an avalanche with a friend.
She had accessed a hut using a snowmobile, stayed the night then opted to ski tour the next day. Avalanche Canada said that is what triggered the incident.
At the time of her death, Anderson was working as a park ranger in the Williams Lake area and also volunteering with Central Cariboo Search and Rescue, which helped find her body two days after the avalanche.
“This member’s kind soul, and bright light, will be significantly missed,” said Central Cariboo SAR chief Rick White in a statement about Anderson.
Wendy Allen, Anderson’s mother, told the Nelson Star that she didn’t believe backcountry skiing was worth the risk.
“For a girl like her, she had all the enthusiasm. If I could talk to her again, I would have said don’t go. Just hike in the summer, not in the winter.”
There was almost a fourth fatality.
In February, a 38-year-old Nelson man was skiing in southern Alberta when he was caught in a backcountry slide. The area they were in is rarely accessed and usually doesn’t have cell service. He also didn’t have a beacon, but was fortunate to get a call out for help.
READ MORE:
• ‘She was unstoppable’: Tenne Andersen identified as Nelson’s latest avalanche victim
• Nelson officer killed in avalanche leaves behind wife, 2 young children
• PHOTOS: First responders salute convoy returning deceased Nelson officer
• Second Nelson police officer dies after being caught in avalanche
