'Hard to imagine the world without her': Family, friends mourn skier killed in Kananaskis avalanche

Family and friends are mourning Minetta Norrie, an elementary school teacher and adventurous backcountry skier, who died in an avalanche in Kananaskis on Friday.

Norrie, 34, was skiing in an area off of Highway 742 near Mount Black Prince when the avalanche was triggered.

RCMP said their investigation found four people were skiing when the avalanche hit and carried her away and buried her in snow. The other three skiers attempted to provide medical attention and sent an SOS beacon, but first responders later declared Minetta dead.

Eric Norrie, Minetta's brother, says his sister was outgoing, had abundant energy and an unmatched zest for life.

"We come from energetic parents and my sister, I think, exemplifies that just brilliantly. She walks in the room and is just completely engaged with whoever is there," Eric said.

"She considers a weekend without an adventure to be a bit of a waste."

Backcountry skiing and other outdoor pursuits were a passion for Minetta. Eric said she has skied since she was four years old.

Shane Hauser, Minetta's boyfriend, said she was full of empathy and bravery, and was so much fun to be around.

"She became a foundation in my life," Hauser said.

"She was the real deal ... We went caving, cliff jumping, mountain biking, dirt biking, skiing, nice relaxing days at the swimming pool. We did everything."

He added Minetta had a magnetic personality and that people always wanted to be around her.

Emily King-Moore, who counts Norrie as one of her dearest friends since they were 10 years old, said Norrie's life was centred around outdoor sports, and that she had all the right equipment and training to be out skiing in the area. 

King-Moore added that despite all her training and precautions, sadly, sometimes Mother Nature is too powerful to prepare for.

"Minetta lived more in her 34 years than most people live in several lifetimes," King-Moore said.

"It's really hard to imagine the world without her."

Mountain safety officials in Kananaskis Country and other national parks west of Calgary put out warnings earlier this week about elevated avalanche risks due to recent heavy snowfall. Kananaskis Mountain Rescue said new snow sitting on top of some weaker snowpack layers increased the risk of sliding. A weak layer fracturing can result in an avalanche.

Minetta was an altruistic person who loved children and always made everyone around her feel like they belonged, her brother said. She and her family sponsored a family of refugees from Sudan, who have a young child, to come live in Calgary.

"We were able to house them in the basement suite of the house where my sister lived," Eric said. "And every day my sister basically fell in love with this four-year-old."

King-Moore said she got a call from Eric on Saturday to inform her about Minetta's death, and was left in shock that someone she considered an unstoppable force in life was gone.

"Minetta was one of the most energetic and vivacious people I have ever known," King-Moore said. "She was so alive."

King-Moore praised how deeply her friend cared for people in her community, and for the kids she worked with as a kindergarten and physical education teacher. 

She added that Minetta was a compassionate teacher, loved by her students, that she worked especially hard to help kids who were struggling with literacy or due to different learning abilities, and that she had a penchant for pulling kids up to the level of their peers.

A Calgary Board of Education spokesperson said on Sunday that the school board's Critical Incident Response Team will offer counselling and emotional support at her school, while also referring colleagues and students to resources like the Calgary Distress Centre and Kids Help Phone, as needed.

Hauser said one of Minetta's defining characteristics was her love of children. He said she was born to be a teacher.

"We spoke on the phone every day. Nearly the first thing every time was talking about her kids at school. And she cared about them so much."