A 45-year-old man was killed by an avalanche near Revelstoke on Friday, the second man to be killed in a British Columbia avalanche in two days, police say.
The RCMP said the man, whose name was not released pending notification of next of kin, was heli-skiing with a group of 11 people with a guide in the Selkirk Mountains range, southeast of Revelstoke, when he and three other skiers were caught by the avalanche of snow just after 1:30 p.m.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said four of the skiers were partially buried by the avalanche, which was 75 metres wide and travelled about 250 metres down the mountainside.
"The three were pulled free uninjured, with the fourth man being eventually located via his avalanche transceiver," the officer said. "The man was unresponsive when located."
Rescuers from Canadian Mountain Holidays, which ran the excursion, could not revive the man, who had been skiing down the southeast facing "Selkirk" run near Holyk Creek.
The victim, who is Canadian but not from the area, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, Moskaluk said.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre has been warning that mild temperatures have created heightened avalanche risks throughout British Columbia.
On Thursday, 30-year-old Duncan MacKenzie, a long-time ski patroller, was killed in a snowslide east of Pemberton, B.C.
With files from The Canadian Press
