Avalanche
Three heli-skiers were killed on Monday afternoon when an avalanche struck near Kaslo, British Columbia. The incident occurred in the Clute Creek watershed east of Kootenay Lake.
According to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) press release, two groups of skiers had just completed their run in an alpine bowl and were waiting in a staging area below the treeline. As a transport helicopter approached to pick them up, the pilot spotted the oncoming avalanche and sounded the alarm.
While one group managed to escape the path of danger, four skiers were swept into the treeline by the wall of snow. Despite immediate rescue efforts, three men were found dead: a 44-year-old from Whistler, B.C., a 45-year-old from Idaho, U.S., and their 53-year-old guide from Kaslo. A fourth skier, a 40-year-old man from Nelson, B.C., was critically injured and evacuated from the scene.
The BC Coroners Service has been called in to assist with the investigation as authorities work to piece together the circumstances that led to this devastating event.
Yesterday, the region’s avalanche rating was high, 4 out of 5 on the danger scale. Avalanche Canada warned, “Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected. Stick to non-avalanche terrain or very small features with limited consequences.”
A similar incident occurred in 2023, where two Nelson Police Department officers lost their lives in an avalanche near Kaslo. Avalanche professionals compared that season to 2003, one of the region’s worst years on record for avalanche fatalities.
Avalanche Canada has not yet released a statement regarding this specific incident. The fatalities are the fifth, sixth, and seventh in Canada this winter season and the 29th in North America.
