Skier rescued after being buried by avalanche for 45 minutes

A skier was rescued and airlifted to hospital after she was buried by anavalanche on Friday in Banff National Park.

A 32-year-old woman was backcountry skiing with two others in the Mount Hector area when the party possibly remotely triggered an avalanche on the side of the mountain, according to a report on Avalanche Canada.

The 32-year-old was fully buried under the snow for 45 minutes and her friends dug her out, STARS air ambulance's crew was reportedly told.

Banff EMS respondedand the woman was airlifted from the scene by Alpine Helicopter to the Banff warden's office.

From there, STARS transported the woman in critical condition to Foothills hospital in Calgary, arriving at 5:04 p.m., a spokesperson said.

EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux saidthe woman was in life-threatening condition.

The Avalanche Canada report states that the avalanche is believed to have been a 2.5 on the size classification scale, meaning it's between the size that could kill a person, or bury a car and destroy a small building.

The avalanche risk remains considerable for the area, according to Parks Canada.

"There is great skiing, but now is the time for conservative decision making," Saturday's avalanche bulletin states.

Mount Hector is located just north of Lake Louise.