Skier Killed In Avalanche In British Columbia After Straying Off Course
A skier was killed in British Columbia after he strayed off the course in a mountain resort and was buried in an avalanche.
The accident took place at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, located in the southeastern part of the Canadian province. The man was found well out of the controlled boundaries of the resort, Reuters reported.
The avalanche actually buried three skiers, though two made it out of the avalanche alive. Police have not yet identified the victim, and said they will be unable to recover the body until Saturday.
The accident happened when a group of about five skiers tested the area’s wintry conditions on Friday, leaving the controlled areas of the Revelstoke Mountain Resort in the Greely Lake area. There had already been another avalanche in the same area earlier that day.
“A number of the group were able to get out to summon further help and are speaking with RCMP investigators and search and rescue,” RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk told The Canadian Press.
The accident occurred as conditions in area resorts have grown dangerous. A series of storm systems have dumped snow throughout much of British Columbia, and the Canadian Avalanche Center upgraded the risk of avalanches to high in alpine and tree line mountain regions in most of British Columbia, CBC reported.
Officials said avalanche conditions should improve on Saturday, but get worse again on Sunday when a new storm moves in.
The other skiers caught in the avalanche on Friday sprang into action quickly, digging out the first two buried. The third skier was killed before they could reach him, however.
