A man who died in an avalanche in the Callaghan area this weekend has been identified as Vancouver's Corey Lynam.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Lynam's family that has, at press time, raised nearly $27,000 in less than 24 hours. He leaves behind a wife and young son.
"Corey will always be a shining example of a great father, husband, and friend. He was a truly remarkable person who inspired all those around him. He was a passionate and talented skier and kiteboarder. He loved adventure and lived life to the fullest. He will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him," the page read.
Lynam, 33, was ski-touring with a group of 14 on Saturday, March 4 near Hanging Lake when he was caught in the slide. He was found by search crews, with the help of an avalanche rescue dog, just before 3:30 p.m. buried in 80 centimetres of snow.
Speaking with Global News, Tristan Jenkins, a friend who was skiing with Lynam's group, said the engineer didn't take any unnecessary risks on Saturday.
“I feel some people, they hear about these stories, and they immediately jump to a conclusion that the skier or that snowboarder was irresponsible or he wasn’t safe,” he said.
“I really don’t want that message to be delivered, because you have to honour Corey by understanding who he was – a very calculated, considerate, careful individual. He was an engineer and he pretty much engineered every part of his life in that way.”
Jenkins went on to say that the group thought they had made "the right decision" entering the slope in the area they did. "(Lynam) wasn't being reckless, it was just a very tragic, unfortunately accident."
Darryl Leniuk, a member of the public who assisted in the search, wrote on Facebook that Lynam's avalanche airbag had been "ripped off" in the slide. He also said Lynam's beacon was recovered still in "search" mode.
There remains a considerable avalanche risk in the Sea to Sky on Monday, March 6.
"There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the buried weak layer underneath the persistent slab. This interface has remained problematic longer than we'd typically expect on the coast. Cautiously gather info before venturing beyond simple terrain," read an Avalanche Canada post.
A skier was rescued Saturday from a separate slide on Hollyburn Mountain near North Vancouver and remains in serious condition.
