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Toronto Woman Identified in Deep-Snow Immersion Death on Sunshine Village Beginner Run

Resort officials cite exceptional snowfall creating loose pockets that can trap skiers in rare, hard-to-escape conditions.

Overview

  • Family named the victim as 47-year-old Farah Merchant of Toronto, remembered as a devoted mother to her son, Liam.
  • She fell into deep, soft snow off the Banff Avenue green run around 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the resort.
  • Onlookers alerted patrol, which arrived within three minutes, and staff attempted resuscitation for about two hours before she was pronounced dead.
  • Sunshine Village described the incident as a deep-snow immersion, a non-avalanche hazard where breathing and movement can be blocked and self-rescue is rarely possible.
  • The resort reports more than four metres of snow since December 1, marking the fourth heaviest snowfall in the park’s 100-year record.