The survivor of a fatal backcountry avalanche says despite vigilant preparation and an understanding of snowpack conditions in the Alberta Rockies he couldn't save his 19-year-old co-worker from the deadly snow slide.

Dominick Cartier-Luckhurst, of Quebec, was killed Monday when he and co-worker Geoff Little were caught in an avalanche on Mount Saint Piran in Banff National Park.

In his first television interview since his friend's tragic death, Little told CTV's Canada AM that he and Cartier-Luckhurst were well prepared for "a beautiful day in the mountains."

"We weren't out to be aggressive. We were out in an active area (and knew) of the conditions that existed. We were not complacent or ignorant," Little said Thursday from Lake Louise, Alta.

A representative from Parks Canada said Wednesday that the two men were climbing an avalanche chute, adding that Little, 38, probably underestimated the dangers associated with the area.

However, Little and Cartier-Luckhurst's father maintain both men, who lived and worked in the area, were prepared for the event of an avalanche.

"Monday's turn of events was tragic and Dom's father encouraged me to say that we acted with vigilance and what happened was an exceptional circumstance."

Little was 15 metres uphill from Cartier-Luckhurst when he first suspected an avalanche was about to occur. After hearing the initial "whomp" of the snowpack settling, Little turned to his ski partner and tried to warn him that the terrain was becoming unstable.

"Almost immediately I noticed that the snowpack had started to move about 10 metres above me and I called to him and warned him that an avalanche was in progress," he said.

Little managed to brace himself against a tree for the duration of the avalanche. After the snow slide, he immediately realized that Cartier-Luckhurst was buried under snow debris and was able to locate him minutes later using an audio signal from his avalanche transceiver.

Little was carrying the proper backcountry gear, and after closing in on Cartier-Luckhurst's signal he used a collapsible aluminum avalanche probe to find his skiing partner. He then used a backcountry shovel to dig out his body.

Cartier-Luckhurst was pronounced dead in hospital. Little said he doesn't feel hesitation about skiing in the area again, but said he is taking a break from the hills.

"In general, the snowpack this year was questionable and it takes a lot of attention to go out and come back safely," Little said.

Cartier-Luckhurst was the 10th person to die in an avalanche in Western Canada this season. The Canadian Avalanche Centre says the beginning of this avalanche season has been the deadliest in more than a quarter century.

Avalanche forecasters say a rainfall in early December followed by a cold snap caused an icy crust to form at a high altitude in the mountains. The crust was then buried by snowfall, causing a weak and unstable layer to build on top of the initial crust.

From 1978 to 2007, an average of 11 avalanche fatalities has occurred per year in Canada, the centre reports.