A 52-year-old man from Maple Ridge, B.C. died Thursday afternoon after falling into a crevasse

while snowmobiling west of the Haines Highway.

Whitehorse RCMP Sgt. Don Rogers said at noon today that fellow snowmobilers sent out an emergency satellite call but the rescue team from Haines Junction was unable to reach the body.

After descending some 12 to 15 metres (40 to 50 feet), members of the team determined is was unsafe to continue any lower to reach the body, Rogers told the Star.

He said they could see, the body but detected no signs of life.

The man's identity is being withheld until the investigation is complete, Rogers said.

He said the RCMP in Atlin, B.C. received the 911 call through a satellite personal tracker at 2:25 p.m.

Members of the Haines Junction detachment flew into the site by helicopter, along with three members of the Kluane National Park search and rescue team.

The man had been snowmobiling with a group of 10 others about eight kilometres west of the Yukon government's highway maintenance headquarters at Pleasant Camp .

He'd been climbing – high marking – the mountainside when he left his machine on purpose because of a perceived threat in the terrain.

That happened either as he reached the top, or on the way down, Rogers explained.

He said the man fell through the snow into the crevasse after leaving the snowmobile, but the machine did not follow.

His companions called down to him but were unable to contact him, Rogers said.

He said the rescue team made their descent upon arrival.

"They were lowered into the crevasse but were unable to reach the male as it was extremely dangerous,” he said. "I was determined by rescuers that it was unlikely the male had survived, and was believed to be deceased.

"They were able to visually see what they believed to be the body and there were no visual signs of life. Any further attempts to recover the deceased will be dependent on the risk to the recovery team and snow conditions.”

Rogers said it was risky enough for the team to attempt what they did.

"Any further effort would have been extremely hazardous.”

Rogers credits not only the Haines Junction RCMP officers and park rescue team, but also their support staff who coordinated the rescue effort.

Without knowing the specifics of the crevasse, Rogers said he was unable to say whether the spring thaw will provide any greater opportunity to recover the body.

The Maple Ridge man was an experienced snowmobiler who was on a winter snowmobile vacation with friends. They had visited the Yukon before, Rogers said.

While the tragedy occurred in B.C., he explained, there is an agreement with the Yukon to have the Haines Junction RCMP handle emergencies in that area.