Fifth skier triggered fatal slide: Avalanche Canada report

Avalanche Canada released a report about an avalanche that killed three German heli-skiers on March 1. (Photo: Twitter@avalancheca)

Avalanche Canada has published details of the avalanche that killed three heli-skiers near Invermere last week.

Three German tourists died on an excursion of 10 people, led by a guide from RK Heliski.

Avalanche Canada said it happened on a run known as "Too Bad About the Skiing" on Coppercrown Mountain.

The organization said the guide was regrouping higher up on the run, when the fifth person in the group triggered a settlement, which initiated an avalanche above.

The entire group was swept into a sparsely forested area.

Two guests were fully buried and pronounced dead on scene.

Three other guests were partially buried and critically injured, while another guest suffered non-critical injuries.

The guide was also partially buried with serious injuries.

All the injured were airlifted to Invermere Hospital, where one of them died.

The report says the avalanche was 300 metres in width and 75 centimetres thick.