Rescue crew members board a helicopter in Pemberton, B.C., Monday, Jan. 12, 2015 to search for missing ice climbers. Three ice climbers have been found dead near Whistler, B.C., north of Vancouver. The bodies of the two women and a man were discovered in a crevasse about 300 metres below Joffre Peak.Dave Steers/The Canadian Press
Climbing centres across British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada are rallying to raise funds for the family of one of three climbers killed in a Jan. 11 fall near Pemberton.
The effort is underway to help the husband and two sons of 35-year-old Elena Cernicka of North Vancouver.
A statement Friday from the Edge Climbing Centre of North Vancouver said that facility as well as ClimbBase5 Climbing gym in Coquitlam, Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich plus other operations in Abbotsford, Surrey, Kamloops, Kelowna, Montreal and Newfoundland are rallying to the cause.
Most of the facilities will be donating a percentage of sales on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25th. The Edge is making its donation on Jan. 16th.
"There is little that can be said or done to fill the hole caused by this tragedy, but we can at least attempt to cover some of the family's costs at this time," Henry Wang, owner of the Edge, said in the statement.
Kimanda Jarzebiak, chair of Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich, said the tragedy touches all climbers with particular sympathy drawn to the needs of Ms. Cernicka's young children.
"Climbers are, just by our nature, reliant on others in order to practice our sport," she said in an interview on Friday. "It means that you automatically have empathy for any other climber in the entire world.
"When a climber is hurt, or in this case dies, the response of the community is pretty instant. It's the essence of the sport – co-operation in order to overcome obstacles."
Of Ms. Cernicka, she said, "This is a mom leaving behind a two-year-old and a four-year-old son."
Killed in the Jan. 11 accident were Ms. Cernicka as well as 31-year-old Neil Mackenzie and 30-year-old Stephanie Grothe of Vancouver.
According to the B.C. Coroners Service, the three were part of a group that travelled to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park on Jan. 10. The trio went ice climbing the next day while others were engaged in other activities.
When the three did not meet up with the group, a search began on Jan. 11, leading to the discoveries of the remains of the group on the 11th and 12th. They had all fallen 600 metres down a narrow gully.
The deaths are under investigation by the B.C. Coroners Service and the RCMP.