A chalet opened Saturday dedicated to Michel Trudeau, the youngest son of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and other outdoor adventurers killed by avalanches.




It replaces the one Michel slept in the night before an avalanche swept him into Kokanee Lake five years ago.

"His spirit was at home here, and I could rightly entrust him to these mountains," Michel's brother Sacha told supporters after trekking through Kokanee Glacier National park to the chalet with his mother Margaret.

The Trudeaus have publicly campaigned for more money to support avalanche awareness, and have helped fundraise for the Canadian Avalanche Association.

Sacha Trudeau pays tribute to his brother at Saturday's ceremony
Sacha Trudeau pays tribute to his brother at Saturday's ceremony

Over the past two years, the family along with the Friends of West Kootenay Parks raised $974,000 to build the cabin. The B.C. government chipped in $100,000 and more than 500 private and corporate donors contributed to the campaign.

Michel's name is the 11th of 13 names on a sign that hangs on a wall inside the cabin, which commemorates those who have died from avalanches in the park.

"It's been very healing this whole process," Margaret said. "This is his grave, and it's wonderful to be able to visit it."

The 2002-03 winter season has been one of the deadliest, underscoring the need for better avalanche safety. At least 21 people were killed by avalanches, including seven high school students from Calgary.

Rescue teams never found Michel's body, but the family says this was the place he was destined to be.

"He died in the right place," said Sacha.