Skier dead after getting caught in avalanche in eastern B.C.

A 42-year-old man is dead after an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains near the B.C.-Alberta border.

According to Avalanche Canada, the incident occurred Monday on Kapristo Mountain, east of the agency’s Purcells forecast region.

The incident page on the Avalanche Canada website describes the avalanche as a “size 2, wind slab” slide that occurred at an elevation of 2,280 metres.

Avalanche size is defined on a scale from one to five, but a size 2 slide is still “big enough to bury, injure or kill a person,” according to Avalanche Canada.

The agency said Monday’s avalanche was triggered by the first skier in a group of two, near the top of the slope.

“The slab depth was an average of 20 centimetres with a maximum depth of 40 centimetres and was 30 metres wide,” Avalanche Canada said. “The avalanche funnelled into a confined gulley and ran 990 metres in length. The subject was located near the toe of the avalanche and was 120 centimetres below the surface.”

There was only one skier caught in the fatal slide, according to Avalanche Canada.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Golden-Field RCMP said the man who returned home confirmed his companion had died from his injuries, despite life-saving attempts.

The surviving friend had to leave him at the location to ensure his own safe return, the statement said.

In a social media post, the agency said it was “deeply saddened” to learn of the incident.

“Even a shallow avalanche in consequential terrain can be serious,” the post reads. “Right now, we’re particularly wary in regions where it is possible for avalanches to step down to a deeper weak layer.”