Avalanche Canada has unveiled a new online resource that brings together more than two centuries of avalanche history in one place. The Fatal Avalanche Incidents database documents every known avalanche-related death in Canada, with records dating back as far as 1782. Designed as a public-facing, searchable tool, the database aims to strengthen avalanche education, research, and awareness while respectfully acknowledging the lives lost.
The project was developed with support from a three-year grant through Public Safety Canada’s Search and Rescue New Initiatives Fund. That funding allowed Avalanche Canada to digitize and organize decades of historical material that had previously been spread across multiple agencies, archives, and paper records. The result is a centralized, map-based database that makes Canada’s avalanche history far more accessible to researchers, educators, media, and backcountry users.
Modernizing data
According to Avalanche Canada Executive Director Gilles Valade, the initiative demonstrates the impact of sustained investment in public safety and data-driven projects. He notes that having dedicated funding made it possible to modernize records that were once difficult to access, turning them into a tool that can help identify long-term trends and reduce future risk.
The database includes detailed incident reports for fatal avalanches nationwide, expert analyses for most incidents dating back to the mid-20th century, and interactive tools that allow users to explore events by date, location, or activity. It also features comparative statistics, case studies, first-person accounts, and research materials that help place individual incidents within a broader historical context.
Avalanche Canada says making this information publicly available is an important step toward improving understanding of avalanche hazards and supporting safer decision-making in mountain environments. Beyond its educational value, the organization emphasizes that the database also serves as a memorial—ensuring that the stories behind the data continue to inform how Canadians live, work, and recreate in avalanche terrain.
The Fatal Avalanche Incidents database is now live and can be accessed at incidents.avalanche.ca.
