Farah Merchant wasn't on a black diamond. She wasn't in the backcountry. The 47-year-old Toronto woman was skiing a beginner run at one of Canada's most popular resorts when she fell into a pocket of fresh powder and never got back up.
It happened Saturday afternoon at Sunshine Village, about 15 minutes west of Banff. Merchant had ventured into the trees off Banff Avenue a mellow green run on the lower mountain that's usually packed with families and first-timers.
Another skier saw her go down and scrambled to help. Ski patrol got there in three minutes. They spent the next two hours trying to revive her.
It wasn't enough.
Not a Tree Well Something Else
Resort spokesperson Kendra Scurfield said Merchant didn't fall into a tree well, the notorious pockets of loose snow that form around tree trunks and have killed skiers for decades. This was different. She called it "deep snow immersion" essentially, Merchant fell head-first into soft powder and couldn't get out.
"It looked like she had fallen into deep snow and there may have been either asphyxiation due to the snow or cardiac arrest," Scurfield said. "She was unresponsive when ski patrol arrived."
Here's the thing most skiers don't think about: fresh powder can kill you the same way water can. Once you're inverted and buried, the snow packs around your face. Breathing becomes impossible. According to Back Country Skiing Canada, 90 per cent of people caught in snow immersion can't save themselves. Without a partner to dig you out, you've got minutes.
It's unclear whether Merchant was skiing alone.
A Season of Record Snow
Sunshine Village has been buried this month 4.48 metres on the upper mountain, with another 61 centimetres dumped this week. It's the kind of season powder chasers dream about. But all that snow creates hazards in places you wouldn't expect, including groomed runs with trees on either side.
The resort is now urging everyone on the mountain to be extra careful.
'She Had a Kind Soul'
Merchant's brother Faizal posted a tribute on Facebook the day after she died.
"She was a loving and devoted mother to her son, Liam, a cherished daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend," he wrote. "She had a kind soul and touched so many lives with her love, warmth, and compassion. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her."
A post-mortem is underway in Calgary. The cause of death hasn't been officially confirmed.
