A group of snowmobilers in B.C. faced a difficult choice when an avalanche killed a member of their party Sunday, just an hour after another snow-slide killed a 24-year-old man.
Fourteen riders were travelling through a remote area in Chetwynd, northeast of Prince George, when they were hit by an avalanche around 2 p.m.
Three riders were covered by heavy snow but only two were able to free themselves, leaving one man dead. As daylight faded, the survivors had to decide whether they could bring the body back.
"Their concern was starting to be whether they would get out," RCMP Const. Craig Douglas told Newsnet on Monday from Prince George.
"They had about a 25-kilometre commute via snowmobile to their vehicles. So the concern was how do they get their friend back? The decision was to leave the deceased and get their selves out."
He added that the snow had buried four or five of their snowmobiles, so some of the survivors had to ride together to escape.
In a press release, the RCMP said because of the danger of further avalanches, no attempts were made to retrieve the deceased.
An hour earlier, a separate group of three snowmobilers was riding in the Mara Mountain area, near Enderby in the North Okanagan, when they were also hit by an avalanche. Two escaped, but 24-year-old Matt Simmons was killed.
His body was found Monday. But Vernon RCMP spokesperson Gordon Molendyk confirmed in a press release that Simmons did not wear an emergency locator beacon.
"Numerous people with a high level of avalanche skill started probing for the missing man," Molendyk said.
"Because he was not wearing a beacon it took some time for them to locate him."
Police are working with the coroners department on the investigation.
In the past several weeks, 11 people have been killed in avalanches in B.C.'s backcountry, including eight snowmobilers buried last month in Fernie.
The RCMP is reminding anyone venturing into the back country to be aware of avalanche danger and to carry the proper equipment in case an avalanche occurs.
