A paraglider died after crashing into the side of Ha Ling Peak, a mountain near Canmore, Alta., just before noon on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, Alberta RCMP reported on Jan. 26; the man was pronounced dead at the scene, the death is not considered criminal, and investigators are awaiting autopsy results.
‘Somebody hit the side of the mountain’
RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney said officers responded to a call about a paragliding accident near Ha Ling Peak, a popular mountain near the town of Canmore, just before noon on Jan. 18. The male paraglider was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Somebody called in and said somebody hit the side of the mountain. I know that sounds horrible,” Slaney said in an interview on Monday, Jan. 26, more than a week after the crash. “By the time we arrived, there was a helicopter there, EMS was there.”
Mounties conducted traffic control in the area while Kananaskis Emergency Services helped the man. Slaney said the cause of the accident is not criminal in nature but remains under investigation, and that investigators are waiting for the results of an autopsy. RCMP did not release the man’s name or age in their initial reports.
Rescue teams with Alberta Parks and conservation officers also responded to the crash, according to Michael Plenits, press secretary for Alberta’s minister of forestry and parks.
A sanctioned launch site
Ha Ling Peak is one of two authorized takeoff and landing points for hang gliding and paragliding in Kananaskis Country, the mountain recreation region west of Calgary. The peak, which rises to about 2,408 metres above the Bow Valley, is a well-known scramble for hikers and a recognized launch for experienced pilots.
Plenits said hang gliding and paragliding are federally regulated activities. “Alberta Parks does not issue permissions or permits for individual hang gliding and paragliding flights,” he said. “We work closely with Alberta Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and co-ordinate with our partners as needed.”
The mountain
Ha Ling Peak looms over Canmore at the eastern edge of the Rockies, its steep summit ridge visible from the town below. The mountain carries the name of Ha Ling, a Chinese cook for the Canadian Pacific Railway who, according to local lore, climbed it in 1896 on a bet and planted a flag at the top. Its hiking trail is among the most popular in Kananaskis, and its launch site draws experienced paraglider and hang-glider pilots who ride the valley winds above the Bow River.
That combination — a celebrated summit, a sanctioned launch and mid-winter conditions — is part of what investigators will weigh. Free-flight accidents in the Rockies more often occur in the busy summer season; a fatal crash in January, when valley winds can be turbulent and daylight short, is unusual.
The delayed public reporting of the death — the crash occurred on Jan. 18, but the RCMP account was first published by The Canadian Press on Jan. 26 — meant the incident drew attention more than a week later, as questions about winter flying conditions at the site were still being examined. Winter launches from Ha Ling are less common than summer flights, and the investigation is expected to consider weather and wind conditions at the time of the crash alongside the autopsy findings.
