3 heli-skiers killed in southeastern B.C. avalanche, RCMP say

Three heli-skiers were killed Monday after an avalanche in southeastern B.C. swept them away, according to RCMP.

The RCMP said the avalanche occurred around the village of Kaslo at about 1 p.m. PT.

Mounties said a group of four skiers had just finished skiing the bowl and were waiting in a staging area below the tree line of the Clute Creek watershed.

"A transport helicopter was nearing the group when the pilot observed an avalanche," RCMP said in a news release.

The pilot issued an avalanche alert via radio, police said in a later statement. 

The group was swept away into the tree line, RCMP said.

Three of the skiers were found dead, according to Mounties — a 44-year-old Whistler man, a 45-year-old Idaho man and their 53-year-old guide from Kaslo.

A fourth person, a 40-year-old man from Nelson, was critically injured, police said. The B.C. Coroners Service is now investigating.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Kaslo-based Stellar Heli Skiing confirmed that the avalanche occurred within its tenure. 

"The entire team at Stellar Heli Skiing extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy," it said in the statement. "Our thoughts remain with them during this incredibly difficult time."

WATCH | Avalanche claims 3 lives: 

3 heli-skiers killed after deadly avalanche in B.C. Kootenays | Hanomansing Tonight

6 days ago

Duration 7:54

Three heli-skiers were killed and another was critically injured Monday after an avalanche in southeastern B.C. swept them away, according to RCMP. Mark Jennings-Bates, the manager of Kaslo Search and Rescue, speaks to host Ian Hanomansing about his group’s rescue efforts.

High avalanche risk

On Monday, Avalanche Canada rated the danger in the area around Kootenay Lake as high, from the alpine to below the treeline. 

"Rising temperatures are creating very dangerous avalanche conditions and terrible riding quality. (There's) no reason to go near avalanche terrain," the forecaster said in its Monday update.

CBC News has reached out to Avalanche Canada for more information.

'It's horrible'

Kaslo Search and Rescue (SAR) said the avalanche occurred in the Purcell Mountain range, one of the mountain ranges that surround the village.

Kaslo SAR manager Mark Jennings-Bates, who was co-ordinating the search for the skiers, said the deaths have hit close to home for the local community.

"It's horrible. It's impactful for the locals for sure," said Jennings-Bates, who knew one of the victims.

"It's people that we know. It's guides who've been affected by it. So yes, it's tough."

In 2023, two police officers with the Nelson Police Department were killed after they were caught in a backcountry avalanche near Kaslo. 

Avalanche Canada said at the time that some professionals compared that year's snowpack to 2003, which was one of the worst years on record for avalanche fatalities.