New Year's Eve in Sparwood, BC

On Sunday December 28, 2008 a group of 11 snowmobilers from the small town of Sparwood, BC went out near Fernie for a day in the mountains. Eight were trapped in a set of avalanches; three survived. Killed in the avalanche were Danny Bjarnason, 28, Kurt Kabel, 28, Warren Rothel, 33, Kane Rusnak, 30, Len Stier, 45, his son, Michael Stier, 20, Thomas Talarico, 32 and Blayne Wilson, 26. On Year New's Eve, I was asked to cover the story for the Globe and Mail for a special insight in the town and its tragedy. It was not an easy story to cover. This whole town had suffered a loss beyond comprehension and I got invited in to document it. I spent 5 days there and here are just a few images.