Two heli-skiers killed in avalanche near Revelstoke

It’s been a deadly month in BC’s backcountry, as the number of people killed in an avalanche has now risen to five.

Two people died after their group was caught in a slide near Revelstoke on Monday, according to heli-skiing company CMH.

The company’s president, Rob Rohn, confirmed the two people who died were guests and were with a guide when the slide struck. The guests were fully buried in the snow, while the guide was only partially buried. Everyone was wearing a transceiver at the time.

“The two guests were flown to Kelowna airport and transported to Kelowna General Hospital, where both guests were sadly pronounced deceased. The third person, a CMH guide, is presently in stable condition and has been transferred by ground to Kelowna General Hospital from Revelstoke,” Rohn said in a statement on the website.

Avalanche Canada lists the Revelstoke area’s risk as considerable, as “several concerning layers exist in the snowpack that are producing large human triggered avalanches.”

Avalanche Canada

BC’s deadly avalanches

It comes in the wake of several tragic avalanches in just a single month in the province.

Over the weekend, a snowmobiler died after they were caught in an avalanche near Valemount, according to Avalanche Canada. The victim was riding with another person when a remote-triggered avalanche was set off nearby. The other snowmobiler survived.

Two weeks ago, an avalanche near Kaslo killed one off-duty police officer, 43-year-old Constable Wade Tittemore, and left another, Constable Mathieu Nolet, critically injured.

Sadly, Notel, 28, died of his injuries in a hospital in Kelowna on Saturday morning.

The pair were backcountry skiing in a mountain pass north of Nelson when the large avalanche came down.

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With files from Sar Anderson