3 people killed, including American, during avalanche in Canada

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News on Mar 26, 2025

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Three people were killed, including an American, and a fourth critically injured after a devastating avalanche swept away a group of skiers in Canada, local officials said.

The incident unfolded on Monday afternoon, just after two groups of skiers wrapped a run on the east side of Kootenay Lake in the British Columbia backcountry, according to a statement from the Kaslo Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They’d been waiting for a transport helicopter in a staging area below the tree line of Clute Creek water shed when disaster struck around 1 p.m., according CBC.

The chopper’s pilot “observed an avalanche and sounded the siren,” the KRCMP said. “The group of skiers was able to run out of harm’s way, while the other group of four was swept away into the tree line.”

The avalanche sparked an intense effort to rescue and locate the athletes, but three of them were already dead by the time crews pulled them from the snow. They were identified only as “a 44-year-old man from Whistler BC, a 45-year-old man from Idaho USA and the 53-year-old guide from Kaslo BC.” Their names have not yet been released.

A fourth skier, a 40-year-old man from Nelson, was, meanwhile, found alive but he suffered critical injuries.

Mark Jennings-Bates, manager of Kaslo Search and Rescue, described the group as “very, very proficient” skiers, per The Canadian Press. They’d all been in a region operated by Stellar Heli Skiing, which confirmed the tragedy in a statement.

“The entire team at Stellar Heli Skiing extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy,” it said. “Our thoughts remain with them during this incredibly difficult time.”