2 Heli-skiers killed, guide injured in avalanche in southeastern B.C.
CTV
Two heli-skiers are dead and their guide is recovering in hospital after being caught in an avalanche near Revelstoke, B.C., on Monday.
Two heli-skiers are dead and their guide is recovering in hospital after being caught in an avalanche near Revelstoke, B.C., on Monday.
Authorities said the heli-skiers were near Mount McCrae, in an area known as Chocolate Bunnies, when the avalanche struck and buried them in snow.
The victims were airlifted to Kelowna and rushed to hospital, but two of them – both guests of CMH Heli-Skiing – could not be saved. The third, a guide with the company, remains hospitalized in stable condition.
CMH Heli-Skiing offered condolences to the loved ones of the deceased in a statement posted on the company's website Tuesday.
"The thousands of guests who ski with us each winter are our family," the statement said. "It is impossible to put into words the sorrow that we feel and the sadness that is shared by our guests, their families and all of our staff."
Two of the heli-skiers were fully buried by the avalanche and the third was partially buried, according to the company. They were wearing transceivers, which helped to locate them in the aftermath.
The incident follows several other fatal avalanches recorded across the province in recent weeks, during a period of heightened danger in the backcountry due to fragile snowpack.
