25-Year-Old Woman Dies After Fall in Banff National Park Backcountry

A 25-year-old woman from the United Kingdom who had been living and working in Banff has died after falling several hundred metres while hiking Marvel Peak in Banff National Park, according to the Canmore RCMP.

The fatal incident occurred Tuesday afternoon during a multi-day backcountry trip involving a group of four hikers that had begun in British Columbia.

Canmore RCMP Staff Sgt. Greg Tulloch said Parks Canada was attempting a rescue when police were notified at approximately 4 p.m. on July 28.

The group was able to reach the woman after her fall and began providing first aid, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

"The group was able to call out for help using emergency messaging but there was no ability for effective two-way communication," Tulloch said.

Rescue efforts were further complicated by weather conditions.

Parks Canada was initially unable to reach the group because of unfavourable flying conditions, forcing the hikers to remain on the mountain overnight. A helicopter was able to extract the group, along with the woman's body, the following morning once conditions improved.

Emergency Health Services Alberta said paramedics had staged at the Mount Shark helipad Tuesday afternoon at Parks Canada's request while the rescue was unfolding west of their location on Marvel Peak.

"After a period of time, EHS were cancelled by Parks and the scene was left in care of Parks Canada," said Public Education Officer Stuart Brideaux. "EHS did not have any patient contact in this case."

The RCMP's involvement stemmed from its responsibility to investigate sudden deaths on behalf of Alberta's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

"Our role is to gather information so that a determination on cause of death can be made by the Medical Examiner," Tulloch said.

Police said the investigation has now concluded.

"There are no concerns that this is anything other than a tragic accident," Tulloch said.

The woman's identity has not been released publicly.

The death comes just days after another fatal fall in the Canadian Rockies. A 65-year-old Calgary man died after falling while scrambling Mount Temple near Lake Louise.

Unlike Mount Temple, which attracts thousands of hikers each year and has an established reputation as one of the Rockies' premier scrambles, Marvel Peak is a far less travelled objective tucked into the southern reaches of Banff National Park near Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.

Information about the route is scarce, with only a handful of detailed trip reports publicly available.

One of those reports describes the mountain as involving mostly moderate, Class 3 scrambling on the summit ridge. However, the climbers also warned that the most difficult aspect of the route was traversing steep, loose side slopes before reaching the ridge.

In scrambling terminology, a Class 3 route generally requires frequent use of hands for balance and upward movement but does not typically require ropes under normal conditions. The rating describes the technical difficulty of the climbing, not the seriousness of the terrain or the consequences of a fall.

Even moderate scrambling routes can involve significant exposure, unstable rock and terrain where a single slip can have fatal consequences.

Mountain safety experts often caution that route classifications should never be interpreted as measures of overall risk, particularly in the Canadian Rockies, where loose rock, rapidly changing weather and long, committing approaches can quickly turn a manageable ascent into a life-threatening situation.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner continues its review of the fatality.