Among the volunteers who helped find the eighth body at a B.C. avalanche site was Jeff Adams, who had escaped the same barrage of snow just two days earlier, and was determined to find the last missing member of his group.

Adams and 10 other men had been driving their snowmobiles through a rocky bowl Sunday when the first avalanche struck. He and two others managed to dig their way out and tried to help their friends, but were forced to leave the area and get help when they realized another avalanche could strike.

When Adams, 29, returned to the site on Tuesday, rescue workers had found the bodies of seven people. But one man was still missing: 28-year-old Daniel Bjarnason.

"The search was very quick," said RCMP Cpl. Chris Faulkner.

"I was told (Adams) went up and indicated what he thought was the likely position this person might have been. I'm not sure how accurate he was but given that the body was discovered about an hour later, he may have been fairly close to it."

The other victims, all from the small coal-mining town of Sparwood, have been identified as: Leonard Stier, 40 and his son Michael Stier, 20, Warren Rothel, 33, Thomas Talarico, 32, Kane Rusnak, 30, Kurt Kabel, 28, and Blaine Wilson, 26.

Officials say the eight men were well-trained when they drove their snowmobiles into a rugged territory about 300 kilometres southwest of Calgary, between the resort town of Fernie and Sparwood.

Faulkner told reporters at a press conference that Adams is leaning on the support of his friends and family at a difficult time.

"It's a tough time for them -- for everybody down here," he said.

Faulkner said the body of Bjarnason had been found "four or five feet below the surface and was discovered by the searchers using the probe sticks that they take into the area."

Randy Roberts, Bjarnason's father-in-law, told reporters Tuesday that the snowmobilers were all "best of friends" who were "just like a big group of kids that want to play."

He said all of the men had the proper equipment with them -- including shovels, probes and transmitters.

"You can never predict it," Roberts said, wiping away tears.

Deadly avalanches

The eight victims, along with the three survivors, were on snowmobiles in a backcountry area when the avalanches hit.

The first avalanche buried three of the snowmobilers, but one of the three was able to free himself.

A second avalanche then buried all 11 men.

Three managed to escape and decided to go and get help, before more snow came crashing down.

Initial reports said there were two avalanches, but one of the survivors told the mayor of Sparwood that there were four in total. The last slab of snow came down shortly after the three had escaped from the area.

"I think it was an excruciating decision that they had to make," David Wilks, mayor of Sparwood, told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.

"They had to decide whether they had the ability to help their friends that were buried in the snow or whether they needed to start heading back to get help.

"...They made the right decision because shortly after walking out another cornice came off that mountain and had they been in that area they may have met the same demise as their eight friends."

The snowmobilers were all from the small coal-mining town of Sparwood, which has a population of just 3,900 people.

Residents in tight-knit community will mourn together Tuesday evening at a public church service.

"They were hard working individuals, most of them worked in the coal mines," Wilks said. "They were respected in the community."

Roberts said his daughter, Teresa, and Bjarnason had been together for 14 years, with no children.

"Danny was a very caring gentleman. He was great with my daughter," he said.