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Parks Canada has officially confirmed the recovery of three bodies after an avalanche in Banff National Park and revealed details of the search they call treacherous and complex.
A helicopter, a search dog and 28 people were involved in the mission to recover the bodies of the three world-class climbers.
The climbers - American Jess Roskelley and Austrians David Lama and Hansjorg Auer - were reported overdue on Wednesday.
The three men were attempting to descend the east face of Howse Peak in the Icefieds Parkway when they were swept up in an avalanche.
Visitor safety specialists were on site quickly and concluded the men had died after finding climbing equipment and evidence of multiple avalanches.
According to Shelley Humphries, incident commander of the search, crews couldn’t begin the recovery until Saturday due to inclement weather and dangerous avalanche conditions.
On Sunday, the three bodies were found once an avalanche dog and its handler were deployed to the area.
All three men were sponsored by outdoor apparel company The North Face and Roskelley was from Spokane, just a seven hour drive from Banff National Park.
With files from the Canadian Press.
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