Three Heli-Skiers Killed in Avalanche in Southeastern B.C.

Tragedy struck on Monday as three heli-skiers lost their lives in an avalanche in southeastern B.C., according to the RCMP.

The avalanche occurred in the village of Kaslo, located on the east side of Kootenay Lake, around 1 p.m. PT.

“Two groups of skiers had just finished skiing the bowl and were waiting in a staging area below the tree line of Clute Creek watershed. A transport helicopter was nearing the group when the pilot observed an avalanche and sounded the siren,” the RCMP stated in a news release.

While one group of skiers managed to evade the avalanche, the other group of four was swept away into the tree line, with three of them tragically losing their lives. The victims were identified as a 44-year-old man from Whistler, a 45-year-old man from Idaho, and their 53-year-old guide from Kaslo.

Additionally, a fourth person, a 40-year-old man from Nelson, sustained critical injuries in the avalanche. The BC Coroners Service has launched an investigation into the incident.

CBC News has reached out to Avalanche Canada for further details on the incident.

In a tragic reminder of the dangers of avalanches, two police officers from the Nelson Police Department lost their lives in a backcountry avalanche near Kaslo in 2023. Avalanche Canada noted that the snowpack in 2023 was comparable to the dangerous conditions experienced in 2003, a year with a high number of avalanche fatalities.