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. Stellar Heli Skiing, based in Kaslo, confirmed in a statement on its website that it was the operator involved.
“At approximately 12:30 PST on March 24, 2025, a fatal avalanche occurred within the Stellar Heli Skiing tenure in the Clute Creek watershed near Kaslo, British Columbia. The incident involved a guided group of skiers who were caught in the avalanche while heli-skiing.
The entire team at Stellar Heli Skiing extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts remain with them during this incredibly difficult time.”
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According to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) press release, two groups 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 waiting at the pickup location, a heli-ski group was hit from above by a natural avalanche. Three members of the group did not survive, and a fourth was critically injured.”
While one group managed to escape the path of danger, four men were swept into the treeline by the wall of snow. Despite immediate rescue efforts, three were found dead. According to Advnture, these were: Stellar Heli Skiing owner Jason Remple, 53, from Kaslo, pro snowboarder Jeff Keenan, 44, from Whistler, and Alex ‘Pash’ Pashley, 45, a sports marketer at The North Face, from Idaho. 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,ย the region’s avalancheย ratingย 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.ย The fatalities are the fifth, sixth, and seventh in Canada this winter season and the 29th in North America.
