Three heli-skiers killed when avalanche sweeps away group in southeast B.C.

A deadly avalanche that swept over heli-skiers in British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains on Monday, killing three, was a reminder that even with experience and the right gear “something can surprise you,” a rescue manager said.

RCMP said in a news release that the slide came down on the east side of Kootenay Lake in southeast B.C., burying the skiers.

A transport helicopter was nearing the group at a staging area when the pilot saw the avalanche coming and sounded the alarm, police said on Tuesday.

“One group of skiers was able to run out of harm’s way, while the other group of four was swept away into the tree line,” the RCMP release said.

Police said a 53-year-old guide from nearby Kaslo, a 44-year-old man from Whistler and a 45-year-old man from Idaho were all killed.

The fourth man, a 40-year-old from Nelson, B.C., was in critical condition, police said.

Mark Jennings-Bates, manager of Kaslo Search and Rescue, said the group involved in the incident was “very, very proficient.”

He said that safe late-season skiing in the region could be “a matter of understanding the conditions and reading the snow reports and knowing what it’s like, and then making very conservative terrain choices.”

“But even when you do that — and this is a guided group, so this has some of the most experienced people that you could want to have with you making decisions based on what they see — and still something can surprise you.”

He said the rescue team got a call around 12:45 p.m. on Monday and were quickly on the mountain.

“By the time our team had got there, there had been four people who were buried in the avalanche, all four of the subjects were removed from the snow and were on top of the snow,” Jennings-Bates said, adding that “one was responsive and three had no vital signs.”

The rescue team said in a statement that attempts to revive the three men were unsuccessful.

Jennings-Bates said he knew the guide who died on Monday. “That makes it a more difficult situation to be very honest,” he said.

He said his team participated in the rescue with support from BC Emergency Health Services for several hours.

The skiing group was with Stellar Heli Skiing, which has been based in the region for decades.

Stellar said in a news release that one skier was airlifted to receive “advanced medical treatment.”

“Tragically, three skiers did not survive, their bodies have since been recovered from the scene,” it said.

The heli-ski company said its team extended deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected. “Our thoughts remain with them during this incredibly difficult time.”

Avalanche Canada has 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 says in its update from Monday.

Simon Horton, a senior avalanche forecaster with Avalanche Canada, said conditions were “quite dangerous” across most of Western Canada.

Horton said in an interview that many regions in B.C. posed a high danger on Tuesday, with this likely persisting until Wednesday due to “very dramatic weather” in recent days.

“We had a big snowstorm that then switched to rain, and then tomorrow it looks like it’s going to get warm and sunny,” said Horton. “All of these sudden changes to the snow are making it very weak and making it likely that there’s going to be large avalanches.”

Horton said the winter-spring transition was challenging.

“Because there’s so much snow that’s built up all through the season, the avalanches tend to be bigger,” said Horton.

Horton said for people who love backcountry skiing, it’s important not only to have the right gear and training, but also to know the forecast.

“That last bit of getting the forecast is really where your decision-making comes in because you can control your risk by choosing where you travel, where and when,” said Horton.

HeliCat Canada, the trade association of the Canadian helicopter and Snowcat ski industry, said in a statement on Tuesday that it will provide support to everyone affected, and it has sent in a critical incident stress management team.

“We understand the ripple effect that traumatic events such as these can have on all, and an avalanche of this scale can impact all who are touched by it,” the statement said.

While its operators and their teams are some of the best in the world at snow science and safety, avalanches are one of the greatest threats to people in the backcountry, it said.

“Similar to many outdoor activities, it’s impossible to eliminate 100 per cent of the risks posed by nature, but our industry does its best to mitigate it with our world-class knowledge and expertise,” it said.

Kaslo RCMP said it is helping the BC Coroners Service in its investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2025.

Nono Shen, The Canadian Press