A Montreal man, 33, and his son, 11, have been killed by an avalanche at Mount Fairview, on Lake Louise in Alberta.

Their bodies were discovered by rescue dogs and were dug out after part of their rented toboggan was spotted protruding from the snow Saturday night at about 7 p.m. Montreal time.

The two - the only members of their family visiting Banff - checked into the Chateau Lake Louise on March 4 and were scheduled to leave March 14. A search was launched when they failed to check out. They had not been heard from in seven days.

The slope where they were found is known to be a high-risk avalanche zone, however no signs were posted to alert visitors of danger to that specific area, according to Bill Hunt of Resource Conservation Manager at Parks Canada Banff National Park.

"We advise visitors to know before you go, so we really encourage people to seek out information by talking to our information centres or experts," said Hunt, who notes that signage on the highway indicates that there is a general risk of avalanches.

Hotel staffers, equipment rental staffers and radio reports are also employed to share information about the danger of avalanches but it's doubtful that the father and son were aware of the risk.

"Presumably they wouldn’t have gone there had they had any perception of the risk," Hunt told CTV Montreal.

The incident has led officials to rethink the warning system.

“We are having those discussions internally and we will be working with our other partners, hotels and motels those who are involved in renting equipment to visitors and really trying to find new ways of reaching those people," said Hunt.

The victims were buried - but not too deeply - under the fallen snow and were encrusted in ice by the time rescue dogs came across their scent.

The names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

Two others were killed by separate avalanches in Canada within the last few days.

A 36-year-old man from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan died of injuries he suffered Friday night in an avalanche near Blue River, B.C., about halfway between Kamloops and Jasper, Alta.

And a 38-year-old man from Calgary was critically injured Saturday when he and some fellow skiers triggered an avalanche in Alberta's Banff National Park.

-With a file from The Canadian Press